Happy Thanksgiving!
November 26th, 2008 by Rodney
First of all, I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving day now is not quite the same as I remember it - small kid time. We used to go to church service in the morning. Then when we got home, my mom would have about half a loaf for bread toasted and my job was to smash the toast for the stuffing. I'd use this heavy round poi-pounder looking thing and mash up the toast real good. It was my little Thanksgiving tradition.
Then I'd jump on my bike and ride around the neighborhood, smelling all the people's turkeys being cooked. Some folks celebrated Thanksgiving during lunch and the aroma of their cooked turkeys would flow onto the deserted streets as I rode my bike around.
As I got older and into surfing, I'd hit the beach with my friends and surf all day, purposely starving ourselves. When I'd get home, I'd take a nice hot shower and get ready for some serious grinds. Then eat 'til you sleep!
As I got a little bit older (like 18), after dinner we'd meet at one of our friends house and knock down some beers and talk story. I wasn't into shopping back then so I didn't have to go home early for the Friday sales. Did they even have Black Friday sales back then?
I remember driving around town on Thanksgiving day and seeing the empty streets with most businesses closed for the holiday. The cars that were on the road were people headed to family gatherings while first making a stop at the local bakery for pumpkin and custard pies.
Nowadays as our parents get older, instead of having Thanksgiving at someone's house, we meet at Tree Tops or some other restaurant for a nice Thanksgiving Day meal. No need shop, no need cook, no need clean up afterward.
You know, I still haven't the slightest clue how to carve a turkey.
But the thing I remember most was riding my bike around on Thanksgiving day and seeing the streets so deserted.
What do you remember about Thanksgiving day - small kid time? Did you have any traditions that you practiced on Thanksgiving day? Do you still carry those traditions on today? Maybe like waking up early (or late for Ocean Lover) to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade? Or watching Detroit and/or Dallas play their traditional Turkey day games? How are you going to spend your Thanksgiving holiday?
But most important of all, take a moment to reflect about all the things you have to be thankful for. Your health, your family, your job, your friends, the roof over your head and the food you're able to provide for your family.
I know I'm thankful to The Honolulu Advertiser for giving me a job and especially for allowing me to blog for them. And to you, all my MidLife Crisis readers and posters for making MidLife Crisis a special place where we can gather and recall the good old days.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Rod (Largo)
Tags: blogs, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Happy Thanksgiving, Honolulu Advertiser, Midlife Crisis, pies, stuffing, thankful, Thanksgiving day, Turkey
November 26th, 2008 at 5:58 am
Good MOrning Rod and the rest of you MLCers. There is a lot for me to be thankful for. I have my faith, my family, my health and I still have a job.
I didn't really have any particular traditions growing up. All my sisters would be in the kitchen cooking or we go to someone's home. My Portuguese aunty made this wicked stuffing with all the innards and stuff. That's my favorite memory. She has long passed on and I have never seen her stuffing since. None of my cousins picked up on the recipe. Oh Well.
Oh yeah, another thing to be thankful for....You guys on MLC, WWD! and O&E.
November 26th, 2008 at 7:01 am
GOOD MORNING RODNEY!!!
All I remember is that we always have dinner at home with family, we never have gone to a restaurant. Now we have lunch with masako's family and relatives and we still have dinner at home with my family.
I'm thankful for Jesus who died for my sins on the cross.
My wife, who's my best friend too.
My kids, I could never ask for better kids
My mom and dad, without them I wouldn't be here
My Job, I have the best boss
My friends, including all my blog friends.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!!!!
November 26th, 2008 at 8:22 am
When I USED TO FISH............we'd always go out to catch the Thanksgiving sashimi................now I'm DEPRESSED............."thanks" Rodney..........
Nah.......Joking! But yes, I used to go get the Thanksgiving sashimi.......
Happy Thanksgiving all you old buggahs! Myself included.
OL
November 26th, 2008 at 8:29 am
good morning...
Like you Rodney, memories of Thanksgiving varied on my age at the time. We usually had turkey dinner at our house...my mom prepared most of everything. I agree that the smell of food being prepared was such a good thing. Also, remember way back when there was the "Turkey Day" football games at the old stadium. Another good thing that's no more.
Getting older used to spend the day watching the Dallas Cowboys on tv, fishing, or time at the rifle range.
Now it's mostly family time...which is the most satisfying.
November 26th, 2008 at 8:42 am
Hi Uncle Rodney!
Let's just say that Thanksgiving is fun on the Mainland, especially because it's actually cold and feels like winter time. But the two Turkey Days that I spent in Oregon with my dad's friend and his family also made me realize how much I took my family here for granted. It wasn't the same and it made me remember how nice it is just to see everyone and enjoy a meal. You really cannot beat good food with good company. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!
November 26th, 2008 at 9:32 am
I came from a football town in New Jersey, so there was always a football game.
November 26th, 2008 at 9:47 am
UR:
Happy TG..
am thankful for the miracle of life, friends who stick with you, family who tolerates you, people who trust you, and for getting to be a father very late in life, my 5 y.o. Son, JJ..
aloha all.. have a safe and t'ankful day.. a bite of turk, a smidge of dis, a smash of dat, ken it get any better? mmmm, no, can not..
uj
November 26th, 2008 at 9:53 am
g'morning Largo and Happy Thanksgiving Eve to all you MLCers!
small keed time.....all da families would go over to my uncles house in Hilo and have thanksgiving lunch and dinner there. watch football and pig out.
and ho......i remember all da choke fuud and the smell of the turkey cooking. mmmm.....and that i would eat most of the stuffing. i just loved my mom's stuffing. they would have to limit my stuffing portions.
"eh boy.....take some other food too eh.....no just eat stuffing, gravy and mac salad!"
dang....now i stay jonesing for my aunt's mac salad. she makes the bestest salad. she put real crab inside.
yup.....i'm thankful for the same things as most of you. health, family, friends and a job.
and thank YOU Largo......for having this special place where we can all reminisce about the good ol days and get that warm fuzzy feeling inside.
November 26th, 2008 at 10:29 am
Happy Thanksgiving Rod! Come run the Turkey Trot tomorrow!
November 26th, 2008 at 10:30 am
Rod,
Tomorrow "shore break' is going to be glassy as it usually is on Thanksgiving. Too bad we can't relive those days......
Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
November 26th, 2008 at 10:50 am
Happy Thanksgiving MLCer's!
My thankgiving memories include getting up early to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade, helping my mom make the stuffing (tearing bread into small pieces like there was no tomorrow... sheesh, so much bread!) and gravy, my dad making the most amazing smoked turkey (yummy! still gotta learn how to make that thing in the kamado!) and getting together in our tiny living room, all trying to stay awake while we watched TV! Sooner or later, most everyone would be asleep! Was it really the turkey?
Now, we go to my in-laws for lunch and my sister's for dinner. I don't have to cook much so it's much more relaxing, though when everyone is sleeping, I'm usually helping to clean up! But, it's all good!
So much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving and every day... family, friends (including new found friends here!), good health of my family and friends, my job, and having a roof over my head. Thanks Rodney for gving us a place to remember the old days (Yikes! I'm saying "old days???"
) when times seemed simple and fun. Now, times seem a litle more complicated and stressful... but still gotta have fun! 
November 26th, 2008 at 10:52 am
hey opso, save some of that stuffing for me, too! that's my favorite!
November 26th, 2008 at 10:56 am
Hey Rod,
I guess I used the drumstick thing to early, alas this year probably won't have one. Yeah, well that pounder thing was handed down from me to Terry to Harvey to you. Yeah mom made the best stuffing and her turkey was always perfect, and the sore stomach after eating was a reminder of how good all the food was.
When Terri-Ann was about 5, we were baking a turkey and I guess I overstuffed the bird (first try), any way we turned on the light to check out the turkey. We saw the stuffing starting to ooze out ot the opening, so I told TA, quick get some TP the turkey is making doo-doo, and she started to run off to get some. I stopped her, but she still remembers that to this day. It was a nice thanksgiving that year.
I'm really hoping it will be a glassy day, so I can go try and catch some waves at Sherwooods or else it means I gotta go to the gym.
Up until this past Friday there was a really downer in my life, but meeting all the others and the party, made me realize that there is more to life. I am forever thankful to the Triad and all it's people that showed me what fun and happiness is again, and am especially thankful for a Brother and Sister-in-Law who are so supportive (wonder who the Big Bro really is).
BTW, 2morrow is off (hope I didn't screw up any plans will call), after my breakup and all the other things going down, I think I'll just cruise and do some contemplation on life.
November 26th, 2008 at 12:23 pm
the best part about Thanksgiving is i can let go a little, and enjoy the Christmas season that has been nagging at me for a couple of weeks. we can get a tree, and get out lights, and tell stories. before Thanksgiving, its just off limits, in case we get tired of it all by the time Christmas comes.
sorry, small-kid times is blurry, it was lots of work i think. and we only had relatives on the mainland. but when my family was growing up, some wonderful traditions grew up. early early we put in the turkey and stuffing, the pies were all done the day before. then because we were all in jammies, and the Macy's Day Parade was on, and it was kind of slow, we played poker! all the kids and grownups had to play poker all over the living room floor for hours, it was required.
Good fun.
by the time company was almost there, the smell was soooo good. then from 12 to 26 people would eat and laugh and play music.
one time i boned a turkey and rolled it up so pretty. problem was, our gang wen' eat the thing, at one sitting. no leftovers, long faces that night. so next morning (the grocery store was open day after Thanksgiving, by chance in those days) i had to run buy another turkey and bone it and roll it, and cook it as fast as i could. whew. was some years before i wanted to bone another turkey.
some Thanksgivings and some Christmases, the dinner would all be baking, and it was still hours before the meal. i would make 10 cups rice and start rolling spam musubi. the kids and teenagers would file past me, and eat the musubi as fast as i could roll 'um. i had to put on 10 more cups rice and roll all that up, just for later.
had at least 8 kids and sometimes 12, not counting friends and kids that came over and stayed out of sight until dinner! some of them just never left.
November 26th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Ynaku:
lol! innard stuffing! yeah the old folks knew ways to cook the bits and pieces so they were yummy. now i throw that stuff away, i just cant make it so i like it.
November 26th, 2008 at 12:53 pm
Happy Thanksgiving!!
My memories of small kid time Thanksgiving was throwing football with my friends at the park until it was time for dinner.
Thanks Rodney for being a great blog host. Triad!!
November 26th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
"HAPPY THANKSGIVING" everybody, busy day, gatta go, check you guy's out later's
November 26th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Happy Thanksgiving, Largo & Aunty Paula!
Of course, thankful for friends and family, a roof over my head, food on the table, and my health. Oh, and a mouthful of teeth.
I'm very thankful to have met the both of you, as well as Braddah Lance and (last but not least) Shauna! That was a great party! So much fun!
Thanksgiving memories - dad watching football, mom cooking the turkey with all the fixin's. Huuu, smelled so good. I was like opso - I liked stuffing best.
And mashed potatoes. With choke gravy. Hm, in fact, I still do!
Recently, we've been going to my sister's house for turkey day. The other year they made a turduckin. That thing is intense. Lotsa fuud! Also lots of work to make it.
My BIL deboned the turkey, duck and chicken, then between each bird was a different type of stuffing. But then to serve, you just slice that baby straight down! It was pretty messy - all that stuffing just fell out and crumbled. It turned into a giant heap of brown meat and stuffing. A delicious giant heap of meat and stuffing though!
November 26th, 2008 at 6:27 pm
@Bananafysh - I want to try and make that Turduckin. I've heard so much about it. One of these years.
Thinking back thru the years Thanksgiving had always been about family and food. Over the years the get togethers have changed, people have come and gone but its basically a time to get together with friends and family, pig out and be thankful for all that has been given to us.
I got off easy this year, I just gotta bring a Ceasar Salad to lunch and order noodles for dinner. I offered to cook the turkey but my MIL graciously said she would do it and she makes the best stuffing. Over the years I have cooked many a turkey, baked many pies, rolled sushi and everything else. I picked up a turkey yesterday so I will probably be making a full on turkey dinner sometime next year.
Happy Thanksgiving eveyone!
November 26th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Thanksgiving around a ping-pong table - Charlie Brown
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnohHTLMs3Q
November 26th, 2008 at 8:30 pm
I have had the good fortune of being related to and around great cooks all of my life. My Thanksgiving memories are similar to my Christmas memories. Dad would drop Mom and me off at Grandma's house mid-morning so we could help with cooking and cleaning. Turkey would be in the oven already. Aunty was making stuffing (her Portuguese sausage and macadamia nut stuffing was so ono I can remember it 35 years later). Grandma was making the most oishii nishime just eyeballing ingredients with no recipe (so no one can reproduce it). I would chop, peel, stir, dust, and vacuum as instructed. We tried to take naps mid-afternoon, then bocha before relatives started showing up around 6 with more food. Sashimi, sushi, potato salad, spring rolls, all kine noodles, and that weird can-shaped red blobby in the middle of the table (I never figured out what cranberry sauce had to do with turkey until I moved to the Mainland).
Tomorrow it's just me and sweetie, food we just have to warm up (but I'm making pie and mashed potatoes and gravy). I'm looking forward to spending the whole day in my pajamas, one last day before Christmas descends.
Happy Turkey Day, everyone. Better to eat one than to be one.
November 26th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Happy Thanksgiving MLCer's. I'm so thankful to all of you folks for reading and posting to my blog. All these new friends, not just to me, but to each other. You folks are the best!
One poster that wasn't able to make it to the party (because he lives on the Big Island) will be in town for a couple of hours on Friday - c0hiba!
He'll be seeing snow's chiropractor on Friday at 4:00 PM. Since it's right across Side Street Inn, he's going to pop in right after to visit and spend a little time before heading back to the Big Island. Anyone up for a pau-hana party on Friday at Side Street?
I don't know where I'll be or in what condition I'll be in - after all, it is Black Friday. But if I can pop in to Side Street - say, around 5:00 PM, I'll be there. Anyone else game?
November 26th, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Shoots me and IKHEA going try to be there
It's "PARTY TIME"
(NKHEA can't wait for Friday again
)
November 26th, 2008 at 11:37 pm
I want to give a big mahalo to Franklin and Nicole from Communications Pacific for stopping by today and sharing some Primo goodies. I'll be sure to hold on to it (well, at least one six-pack) and the other stuff to give out as prizes at our next TRIAD gathering - which you folks are welcome to attend!
And if any lurkers out there know the old Primo jingle that I blogged about last week, but don't want to post it here, please email me directly. Communications Pacific would love to know the words (as would I). If anyone has a recording of the old Primo jingle, I have a six-pack of Primo waiting for you.
November 26th, 2008 at 11:46 pm
I remember pumpkins pies! Obachan used to make one for every family that still lived in Hilo (six I think) and our neighbor Mrs. Miyamoto used to bring one over. My Dad used to always do the taste test to see which one was better.
November 26th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NKHEA!
November 27th, 2008 at 2:52 am
Thanksgiving small time was always getting up so dang early to watch the Macy's Parade, then over to gramma's house! Turkey and ham, but the best was the pumpkin-custard pies gramma and my aunty would make. I don't think that I can do it myself! Thanksgiving wasn't a day for our family, it was a weekend, next few days we had turkey hash patties or turkey jook, ham and potatotes or portuguese bean soup, leftovers re-made for 3 more days!
As I got older, my friends and I went to the movies, cuz was so empty! We had our choice of seats! This was in the daytime of course, I couldn't miss the family dinner! Living on my own on the mainland I either flew to Cali to spend time with my "other side" family, or if I had to work, I stayed in LV and luckily had other friends who were on their own, and thankfully we had each other! Home for the holidays this year but as gramma and grampa have recently gone, my family now buys a "ready made" meal for Thanksgiving. Not quite the same. *sigh*
*shaking it off* Happy Thanksgiving to you all! I'm thankful to have great new friends from the Triad!
November 27th, 2008 at 2:54 am
Happy birthday to NKHEA and snow!!!
November 27th, 2008 at 6:56 am
Snow and NKHEA birthday? They twins? Wow, happy birthday to both...what a good time to have a birthday.
I usually don't get too sentimental over Thanksgiving, but it is a time to spend with family. I just thankful that I have a family to share the holidays with. The lone wolf side of me can be anti-social and independent but we also hang out with our pack for well-being and strength. Happy Thanksgiving to all.
November 27th, 2008 at 8:58 am
Happy Thanksgiving, Rod and all you MLCers! Made the pies last night and woke up early to prepare the turkey in time to have an early Thanksgiving lunch. Used to be a tradition for me to run the annual 10-mile Turkey Trot, but not anymore. Maybe next year!
November 27th, 2008 at 9:11 am
Happy Birthday snow and NKHEA!
November 27th, 2008 at 10:15 am
"HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYBODY" and a "HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU SNOW" neva no I had one twin
Lucky I the betta looking one 
jus kidding snow
Thanks everybody
btw no forget tomorrow at 4:00 Side St., COhiba going be dea
November 27th, 2008 at 11:14 am
HAPPY BIRTHDAY SNOW!
November 27th, 2008 at 11:25 am
@yuenhernandez - Happy Thanksgiving to you too and for all your support. Hope you have a nice day with the family and make a lot of memories!
November 27th, 2008 at 6:39 pm
Rod,
I'll try to be there, but probably going out to catch a few waves first, and so should be safe since it's the day after Thanksgiving, hee hee. Around 5:00 ehh, parking is going to so suck, but will really try to make it, the MLC's group really fit the descrip, bunch of party animals, but hey, next year will be pushing 60 so I can't take it with me, so might as well party.
November 27th, 2008 at 7:41 pm
Happy Birthday NKHEA and snow......I don't know if I can make it tomorrow...how late are you all staying...oh, oh...till closing
November 28th, 2008 at 11:48 am
thanks for the birthday wishes!! hope you all enjoyed thanksgiving with your family and friends!
nkhea - now you betta looking and i stay only one day younger???
aigoo! (hee hee hee... no worry, you probably right!!)