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This is “The Opinions,” a show that brings you a mix of voices from New York Times Opinion. You’ve heard the news. Here’s what to make of it.
margaux laskey
My name is Margaux Laskey, and I’m an associate editor for New York Times Cooking.
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It’s fall, and we are thick in the season of preparing for Thanksgiving, which is the Super Bowl of New York Times Cooking. It’s very exciting. We’re all very busy. But today I want to talk about the fact that I hate Thanksgiving dinner. (WHISPERING) I am not the only person!
[laughs]
I’m just the only one willing to talk about it.
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I kind find that it’s all brown and soft and one note. The thing about turkey is even when you have a really good roast turkey, like the best you’ve ever made, people try it and they go, that’s good for Turkey. It’s like three weeks or a month of work and planning. I don’t love cooking it. And then, honestly, you sit down and the meal is over in about 10 minutes. [LAUGHS]
My colleagues are working very hard to create dishes for the Thanksgiving table that are not boring and bland and that are exciting and create some liveliness on the plate. We literally start talking about Thanksgiving in April or May. We start making our plans. And we do a retrospective right after Thanksgiving.
So it’s like we spend so much of our professional lives thinking about Thanksgiving and thinking about Thanksgiving dinner. It’s the last thing I want to do, [LAUGHS]: is to think about making my own. I look forward to Thanksgiving Day. I’m not anti-Thanksgiving.
[chuckles]
I like the idea of thankfulness and gratitude and all of those things. But I’m grateful that I don’t have to eat turkey if I don’t want to.
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We found a new way to celebrate Thanksgiving in our family that feels much more celebratory to me and much more calming. We go to the same restaurant every year. It’s not the best restaurant in the world. It’s never going to be reviewed by Pete Wells.
But the food is solid, and we can pick what we want from the menu. I get filet mignon or salmon. My husband gets the classic Thanksgiving dinner. My kids get chicken tenders or pasta with butter. And everybody leaves happy. And then we get to come home, and nobody has any dishes to do. And we watch “White Christmas.”
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I think if I could reinvent Thanksgiving, I would just make it more acceptable to make whatever you want and not feel beholden to tradition.
[laughs]
Sometimes people don’t even think about whether or not they like it because it’s just tradition. It’s just what you do. But there are plenty of people in this country who cook different things.
speaker 1
My favorite dish is the Brussels sprouts.
speaker 2
Paella or jambalaya.
speaker 3
Collard greens and mac and cheese and —
speaker 4
So much chocolate.
speaker 5
Sort of like a world cornucopia of dishes.
speaker 6
My mom and I make tacos.
speaker 7
There would be bourbon.
margaux laskey
Just the permission to make Thanksgiving whatever you want it to be. What would my advice be for people who hate Thanksgiving dinner as much as I do? Maybe bring a different dish this year to Thanksgiving to change it up a little bit or delegate.
If you’re normally the one in charge and you feel overwhelmed, delegate something. Suggest a potluck. Don’t be scared of storebought things. Order the pies. Don’t feel like you have to make all the pies. Give yourself permission to do something that’s really going to make you feel thankful and not resentful. I’m sorry. It’s the food editor who doesn’t like Thanksgiving dinner. [LAUGHS]
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If you like this show, follow it on Spotify, Apple, or wherever you get your podcasts. This show is produced by Derek Arthur, Sophia Alvarez Boyd, Vishakha Darbha, Phoebe Lett, Kristina Samulewski, and Jillian Weinberger. It’s edited by Kaari Pitkin, Alison Bruzek, and Annie-Rose Strasser.
Engineering, mixing, and original music by Isaac Jones, Sonia Herrero, Pat McCusker, Carole Sabouraud, and Efim Shapiro. Additional music by Aman Sahota. The fact-check team is Kate Sinclair, Mary Marge Locker, and Michelle Harris. Audience strategy by Shannon Busta, Kristina Samulewski, and Adrian Rivera. The executive producer of Times Opinion Audio is Annie-Rose Strasser.
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