Thanksgiving at Western

It fell right off the bone!

Feast in the Study Lounge

Bek, Cait and Nate eating delicious food

This coming Tuesday is our 5th Annual Thanksgiving Dinner. Even though many previous members of this yearly affair have moved out of the area, those of us who are still here continue the tradition - and thankfully we still have some. This pre-holiday Thanksgiving dinner (usually two or three days before the actual day) all started 5 years ago in the dorms. Ever since that time, I have made it my duty to keep it alive and have re-kindled this event every year - no matter what. It all started 5 years ago, in French Hall. I attended a Western hockey game with some friends and as usual, signed up for the contests during the period intermissions. I was (for once) chosen to try and toss the turkey down the ice and into the goal. Succeeding, I earned a gift certificate to Hardings to collect a free turkey and a variety of other Thanksgiving-related items like corn, beans, gravy, etc. Our tradition was born.

The turkey didn't fit very well in our small, dorm fridge, so obviously it sat in our bathroom sink, de-frosting. The next morning, we basically took over the third floor study lounge. I remember Rob and I camped out all day in the study lounge, constantly studying the turkey to make sure we didn't burn it. Of course, we didn't know how to make stuffing and cooked it once and then put it in the turkey while the turkey cooked. It pretty much looked like mush and tasted even worse. Luckily, that wasn't the only side we had, even though it was pretty close. Mashed potatoes of course were plentiful and has pretty much been a staple of Steph's at our dinners ever since. The turkey came out so good that when it came out, I pulled up the bone and the turkey fell right off. I remember many of the other kids on our floor trying to buddy up that day because the food smelled so good. We filled the floor and maybe all of French Hall with the smell of turkey that day.

Our dinner's have improved dramatically since the first one. We had two at Sterling, one at the little red house last year and our fifth will be at my current apartment at Ramblewood. We have the same base people every year with a few different friends thrown in there, but always have a wide assortment of food to compliment the turkey and mashed potatoes. Last year we had so much food, that our fridge was filled with leftovers for over a week. Last year was also the year that we gave the turkey's bones to the cat that lived on our porch and we promptley never saw that cat again. I refuse to agree with the view that it choked on one of those bones, but that seems like the most likely conclusion.

This year promises to be just as good as any. I'm going out to buy the turkey this weekend and have received commitments from several friends still in the area on side dishes and desserts. I fear that seeing how this is my last year in Kalamazoo (most likely), this will also be the last Thanksgiving dinner for my friends and I, however I am not ruling out next year's dinner, wherever I am.