Ah, Thanksgiving. Time to go home and join the family after a few months of not seeing them. Time to have a lot of food in the fridge, in the pantry and on the table. Time to laze about.
Well, not exactly. This Thanksgiving, why not give a hand to whoever takes on the brunt of the cooking work? In my house, my mom spends the day cooking—four or five hours of cooking for only about half an hour of eating—every Thanksgiving. I’m not a chef, but I do my best to aid her in the simple tasks that a more experienced cook like herself finds less challenging, but that must be done nonetheless.
I’m the potato peeler. I’m the cheese shredder. I’m the deviled egg stuffer. I’m the table setter.
It’s not a glorious experience, but I get to lend my handiwork to what, at the end of the day, brings my distracted family together for a pleasant meal.
At the same time, helping my mom with the grunt-work (it’s a practice I attempt to exercise whenever I’m home) has helped me develop skills in the kitchen that I would never have the wherewithal to gain on my own. I can peel a mean potato, and bread has never been buttered faster (in my household, at least).
This holiday season, lend a hand to the family member(s) who put the most effort into the feeding of your family. It may not seem like much, but someone’s got to do it.