Thanksgiving
My Thanksgiving tradition is to spend it with a large group of friends, in San Francisco or a favorite spot north 90 minutes, Guerneville, a small river town in Sonoma. Having spent so many years living in California, while my giant midwest family was all in Chicagoland, I always flew home for Christmas, but kept Thanksgiving to be with my friends, and in my home.
Having a big family, with divorced and remarried parents, meant that Chicago Thanksgivings were largely spent in the car- driving from place to place, to try and see everyone, on all sides of the family. Leaving one dinner early. Showing up to another one late, and maybe getting a third or fourth one in for apps or desserts. So by staying in SF, and hosting Thanksgiving, I could spend the day with a wonderful group of friends, people who truly became and still are family, and not have to leave the house for a second.
Brunch would be served, a few different types of quiche, and Trader Joe’s delicious cinnamon rolls, with mimosas, coffee and tea flowing all morning. Friends would stop by on their way to family dinners or other plans they’ve made. The guest list would change throughout the day, and most of us would choose to cook and prepare the food together in the hours leading up to the big meal. We’d eat a killer feast, with the best ingredients the Bay Area offered. Crazy expensive turkeys, and gorgeous produce. My dessert of choice to make for the occasion is bread pudding. And to eat- it’s pecan pie.
After we finish dinner and dessert, where no one is in a rush to leave, we keep the wine flowing, and coffee (now likely with bailey’s) and tea (with some whiskey?) going and start in on the best part of the night- Christmas movies. Always a hard push for the classic ‘White Christmas’ here. All full and cozy, with a second helping of dessert, and welcoming in the holiday season, snuggled up to the friends I love.
My first Thanksgiving in San Francisco presented a unique set of challenges, I was doing my internship at Mills College in Oakland, and a lovely woman I was working with there asked me to create a dairy free, gluten free, soy free, vegan Thanksgiving menu for her. Yep- this was a big undertaking, and could not have been further from the way my family did Thanksgiving. As it turns out, some of the guests I would be hosting also had differing dietary restrictions, so my new Bauman knowledge was put to the test.
Thinking that just a few months before this, while still living in Chicago, I had no idea how much my life, and the way I viewed food, would change. Food is always front and center for this holiday, and here were new friends and ingredients, different dishes and diet directions, and plenty of breaking with tradition.