Ahh . . . those Thanksgiving day aromas





Holiday dinner at Grandma and Grandpa Palkes in the

early 1950s. Young Ken Palke is second from left and

 the grandparents are standing in the right rear.



I love the smell of turkey roasting in the oven . . . especially when it's at the place I'm eating.

Thanksgiving is upon us. It's a time for family and friends, fine food and drink, and to say thanks for the good things in our lives.

Even as a youngster I enjoyed the holiday . . . making pilgrim hats and turkey cutouts, learning my part for the fall program, and four days off from school.

When I was about nine or so, grandma and grandpa had a very special cook come in for Thanksgiving dinner in Los Angeles. Grandpa's co-worker friend and his wife were from the South and she and grandma spent hours in the kitchen preparing turkey and all the trimmings Southern style.

They started with a jumbo turkey -- expecting a healthy turnout of relatives -- stuffing the bird with a wet dressing that included raisins and plums. And the sideboard was overflowing with enough tasty dishes to make a young guy's heart swoon.

After that big meal, us kids looked forward to a walk around the block with our beloved maiden aunt, Addie. As a special treat -- and if we behaved on the walk-- she doled out sticks of tangy Dentine chewing gum. Years later, I realized these walks were a part of a plot to empty the house of pestering kids while the parents cleaned things up.

In the early 1960s, my wife Pam and her family celebrated Thanksgiving  a bit differently in Oregon. Her clan was so large they needed a country clubhouse with enough tables and chairs to feed all the adults and kids on the big day. Her grandparents were farmers and it was a tradition that everyone helped in meal preparation, saving the turkey-carving honors for grandpa.

Pam's Thanksgiving dinners of the early 1960s

included a kid's table. Pam is second from the

bottom, right.

 

Pam's family had another turkey day tradition. After the last drumstick was downed, the kids put on a talent show for the grown-ups with singing, dancing, musical instrument playing and story-telling on the clubhouse stage.

When I asked Pam which of her many talents she chose to display at the event, she smiled, recalling how she pulled rank on her younger cousins. "I didn't do much singing or dancing, but since I was the oldest cousin, I coordinated things and helped the kids get on and off the stage. The bossy oldest cousin, you know."

A couple of years ago, Pam cooked Thanksgiving ham dinner for our kids here at home. Every carefully-prepared dish tasted wonderful, but even Pam would admit she overdid it. There was enough food on hand to feed an infantry platoon. Still, it worked out OK because everyone went home with a smile . . . and full containers of Thanksgiving leftovers.

This year we'll be going to my son and his wife's (Darrel and Hollie) Hillsboro home for our holiday turkey feast. I can't wait.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is about people . . . and tasty dishes. Here are some photos

of turkey day celebrations from the 1950s through the present. Turkey

carvers and cookers in the top row are Jack Johnston, Shirley Palke,

and Fred McCall. Bottom left photo is from one of Pam's Thanksgiving

clubhouse dinners of the early 1960s. (Photos by Ken Palke, others)