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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.
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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.
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Pam's Thanksgiving dinners of the early 1960s
included a kid's table. Pam is second from the
bottom, right.
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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!
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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)
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