National Gluttony Day

Today is called "Thanksgiving", but in my experience, people aren't usually thankful for anything on this day. This is the day that most people who are able shovel as much food into their mouths as possible. This is yet one more day that people should be ashamed of themselves.

Once upon a time I worked in a grocery store. I remember the day before Thanksgiving was one of the busiest days of the year. I also remember people spending hundreds of dollars on the food for one meal. I think the record was one lady who spent $800. Can you believe that shit? People buying and preparing so much food and most of it ends up getting thrown out from going bad in the fridge at a later date.

Later today I will be going to my mother's home to celebrate this day. We don't eat the traditional turkey meal. Our tradition is to prepare food from different cultures. Two years ago we did Middle Eastern food, last year my step father insisted on a stupid turkey and it was a flop, this year we are preparing Indian food. We will have tika masala served over jasmine rice, saag paneer, and naan with mint chutney. For desert we will be having white pumpkin pudding with saffron.

This meal for four people would have cost less than $100. I must admit I felt smug about it. Then my mother started freaking out in the grocery store about the fact that she thought we didn't have enough food. She started going on and on about how we needed appetizers; that we needed to have food to graze on all day because that is what is traditional!! I practically screamed at her in the store, "That's an American custom mother!! Gluttony is not a tradition to be proud of!!"

Needless to say, this turned a lot of heads our way. People actually glared at me. Not at my mother for wanting to succumb to the stupid tradition. So, in a huff, I marched off and bought her some more food. Appetizers. Things to fill her up before meal time. Things to make her feel safe in a worthless, shameful tradition. Today I am truly thankful for being capable of having enough food to feed a family of four in another part of the world for more than a week, but I am ashamed that we will try to eat it all in one day. Sigh ...