The After-Thanksgiving holiday. OK, it’s not an actual holiday, but almost.
After-Thanksgiving is the day, or days, immediately following Thanksgiving. They are special and holiday-like because they are the
days we get to savor and devour Thanksgiving leftovers.
Our after-dinner vow on Thanksgiving never to eat again dissolves the day after into an irresistible craving to heat up the remaining
turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, rolls… And if we are lucky, for a day or two after that there may be enough left for turkey sandwiches on toast.
Ahhh, After-Thanksgiving.
Alas, though, the joys of the After-Thanksgiving holiday are denied to me, my family and to thousands of otherwise worthy Americans. We are the ones who – for a variety of reasons -– eat out on Thanksgiving.
My family ate at a Thanksgiving buffet this year. The food was plentiful and delicious. As did those of you who dined at home, we ate until we were so full we too vowed to never eat again.
Predictably, on the day after Thanksgiving we also had an irresistible craving to heat up the turkey, et al. But what we heated up was a box of frozen macaroni and cheese. We had no leftovers.
Those who dine out on Thanksgiving forgo one of that holiday’s great pleasures – the After-Thanksgiving feast(s).
Something should be done to rectify this situation. We Thanksgiving diner-outers are not bad people, just victims of circumstance,
I have a couple of suggestions, based on the single premise that restaurants that serve Thanksgiving buffets must have leftovers.
Here are two possible solutions:
1. For an additional fee to the dinner, provide diners with the opportunity (and a box) to take home leftovers. Like a doggie bag.
But in this case a Turkey Bag.
2. Restaurants could heat up their leftovers on the day after Thanksgiving and serve them to diners at lesser charge than on
Thanksgiving day.
Lots of folks are off the day after Thanksgiving. And having a second nice turkey dinner with the family certainly beats
battling bargain-berserk shoppers over a 55-inch TV for $1.38.