“Instead of making turkey, they make reservations” was all it took for me to be captivated by this weeks, Pete Wells New York Times article. Traditionally, thanksgiving is a time of giving thanks and being able to gather around with family and friends and eat together. The thanksgiving host is typically left with the responsibility of planning, providing a great meal and service, and achieving a wonderful experience for their guests. Although, sometimes being a host the burden of responsibility can be overwhelming because guests, “…like having a choice of main courses…and they [guests] like knowing that somebody else will wash all the dishes.”
The preparation of this holiday feast is just as much of a hassle and “crunch time” for home cooks versus culinary chefs at establishments. Waking up even before dusk time makes a huge difference. Pete Wells compares three different restaurant establishments that offer thanksgiving menus with fixed prices which contain the standard dishes or an a-la-carte menu, while also provides additional food options.
As mentioned earlier, Thanksgiving is a time where relatives are unified and express “affection” towards one another or their opinion on complex topics all while having a feast. Only difference between a home thanksgiving versus a restaurant are the arguments which are tamed down considering it’s at a public location and is beneficial under certain circumstances.
However, one downfall to attending a reservation at a restaurant is that leftovers or asking for a “doggie bag” is not apart of the menu, which most people would say defeats the purpose of thanksgiving and it’s leftover food ritual that everyone always looks forward to.
