Comment from Debi Pick Marquette

Excellent

This is awesome Jake, and I love your story just like your food choices for the holidays. This was so often the story of our generation with our parents fighting half the time. I sure enjoyed this great post and I am going back to vote for you right now!

 Comment Written 05-Dec-2022

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reply by the author on 05-Dec-2022

thanks a lot as always

Comment from tempeste

Excellent

Ciao! You now have 3 votes!

You had my mouth watering.

I can't imagine eating even one third of all that food though.


What won my vote was the part where you tell us that each family member contributed in preparing the side dishes.

I love that warm family feeling that your account evoked

I missed out on family life so I love to read about other peoples child, teen-hood.

Ciao!

 Comment Written 04-Dec-2022

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reply by the author on 04-Dec-2022

thanks as usual.

Comment from Mary Vigasin

Excellent

Jake, with this recipe, you have me wanting to do Thanksgiving all over again. Sad about your family life, but at least, on this Holiday, you all came together.
Good luck in the contest.
Mary

 Comment Written 03-Dec-2022

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reply by the author on 03-Dec-2022

thanks a lot Thanksgiving was my favorite as my Mother did it right.

Comment from Sanku

Excellent

WoW! what a fabulously sounding names in the menu. I am not familiar with many items since I am from India. I liked that you forgot all the differences during the holidays .And people not forgiving the supposed to be losers doing well is there world wide ...They simply can't change their opinions.

 Comment Written 03-Dec-2022

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reply by the author on 03-Dec-2022

yeah it is a very American menu

Comment from Aiona

Excellent

What a great mouth-watering list! And it's so funny, this is the second time I've come across a piece of writing about whole-berry or no-berry cranberry sauce! It was never an issue in my household, because my mother had no idea how to cook. Our cranberry sauce came out of a can. And now I want some grits.

I found one typo:
"my older brother made the sweat potatoes with marshmallows"

I'm pretty sure you meant "sweet potatoes." Right?

 Comment Written 02-Dec-2022

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reply by the author on 02-Dec-2022

yeah thanks for catching the typo. I will fix it right now

Comment from Sandra Nelms-Ludwig

Good

This is an okay entry in the Holiday recipe contest. The text is a great size. The message is clearly stated but reads like a list.
Please consider not beginning every line with a capital letter. Lines 2-5, 7-9, 11-14...etc should be lowercase letters. Rather than use a form of the word stuffing three times close together consider changing one or more to dressing. Basically, this poem reads like a list rather than a poem. With some revisions and some additional sentences to make it flow better it could read as a poem. The visual fits well. Good luck in the contest.

 Comment Written 30-Nov-2022

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reply by the author on 30-Nov-2022

good suggestions as always. I will revise it.

reply by Sandra Nelms-Ludwig on 30-Nov-2022

You are a better writer than that piece indicates.

reply by the author on 01-Dec-2022

thanks. I revised the story to be a story (the prompt was for fiction only) and took into account your and other's suggestions. here is the revised version

Thanks again


Growing up in Berkeley, in the 60s and 70s, my favorite holidays were Thanksgiving and Christmas. On those days, our dysfunctional family came together and had a good meal. Then the next day back to the constant bickering, and fighting as we just did not get along. My parents were an odd couple, a love-hate relationship. My two siblings (older and younger) bonded together and hated me and my younger sister because they were convinced we were both losers and did not have what it took to succeed in life. When I became successful in life they never forgave me for that crime. The last time we had a holiday meal was in the late 80s. Since then, why bother? They never send Christmas cards or presents, and I reciprocate and never do the same.
But on Thanksgiving and Christmas, we put all of that aside and enjoyed the day and best meal of the year. My mother was from Arkansas and did a traditional southern style Holiday treat- the same meal for both days.
She cooked, but the kids helped out, and my father carved the bird. I made the stuffing, my older brother made the sweat potatoes with marshmallows, my younger brother made mashed potatoes and my sister made the salad.
It all started with a big bird, a Turkey, of course, stuffed with stuffing. We never did Goose, Cornish game hens, or God forbid Tofu Turkey -although being in Berkeley that was a common alternative. But not in "the World According to Mary Aller," for my southern traditionalist mother, it had to be Turkey, and that was it.
The stuffing consisted of a commercial stuffing mixture, bread, and herbs. I added to the mix apples, bacon bits, carrots, ham, and a little orange juice. One year I added bamboo shoots, chestnuts, mushrooms, and walnuts, and Mother, horrified, looked at me as if I were out of mind, but afterward said, "That was good" and we added that to our family stuffing recipes.
The sides were great
Two kinds of cranberry sauces ? smooth and chunky, both bought at the Berkeley Co-Op where my father was president. It went bankrupt after my father died in 1985.
Green beans with bacon bits, garlic, and onions,
Greens southern style -either collard or spinach. turnip, kale, or all four, boiled with bacon, brown sugar, ham bits, and molasses, with bourbon for flavoring
Grits with ham, and cheese, cooked in bacon grease (none of my friends knew what grits were)
Garlic mashed potatoes.
Salad
Sweet potatoes with marshmallows.
Wild rice and white rice cooked and served separately.
And pecan pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Wine, and bourbon, for the adults, starting when I was 18 allowed me to partake.
Leftover sandwiches for days,
Bacon, eggs, grits, and potato pancakes for the next breakfast.

reply by the author on 01-Dec-2022

thanks. I revised the story to be a story (the prompt was for fiction only) and took into account your and other's suggestions. here is the revised version

Thanks again


Growing up in Berkeley, in the 60s and 70s, my favorite holidays were Thanksgiving and Christmas. On those days, our dysfunctional family came together and had a good meal. Then the next day back to the constant bickering, and fighting as we just did not get along. My parents were an odd couple, a love-hate relationship. My two siblings (older and younger) bonded together and hated me and my younger sister because they were convinced we were both losers and did not have what it took to succeed in life. When I became successful in life they never forgave me for that crime. The last time we had a holiday meal was in the late 80s. Since then, why bother? They never send Christmas cards or presents, and I reciprocate and never do the same.
But on Thanksgiving and Christmas, we put all of that aside and enjoyed the day and best meal of the year. My mother was from Arkansas and did a traditional southern style Holiday treat- the same meal for both days.
She cooked, but the kids helped out, and my father carved the bird. I made the stuffing, my older brother made the sweat potatoes with marshmallows, my younger brother made mashed potatoes and my sister made the salad.
It all started with a big bird, a Turkey, of course, stuffed with stuffing. We never did Goose, Cornish game hens, or God forbid Tofu Turkey -although being in Berkeley that was a common alternative. But not in ?the World According to Mary Aller,? for my southern traditionalist mother, it had to be Turkey, and that was it.
The stuffing consisted of a commercial stuffing mixture, bread, and herbs. I added to the mix apples, bacon bits, carrots, ham, and a little orange juice. One year I added bamboo shoots, chestnuts, mushrooms, and walnuts, and Mother, horrified, looked at me as if I were out of mind, but afterward said, ?That was good? and we added that to our family stuffing recipes.
The sides were great
Two kinds of cranberry sauces ? smooth and chunky, both bought at the Berkeley Co-Op where my father was president. It went bankrupt after my father died in 1985.
Green beans with bacon bits, garlic, and onions,
Greens southern style -either collard or spinach. turnip, kale, or all four, boiled with bacon, brown sugar, ham bits, and molasses, with bourbon for flavoring
Grits with ham, and cheese, cooked in bacon grease (none of my friends knew what grits were)
Garlic mashed potatoes.
Salad
Sweet potatoes with marshmallows.
Wild rice and white rice cooked and served separately.
And pecan pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Wine, and bourbon, for the adults, starting when I was 18 allowed me to partake.
Leftover sandwiches for days,
Bacon, eggs, grits, and potato pancakes for the next breakfast.

reply by Sandra Nelms-Ludwig on 01-Dec-2022

This read is much better than before. Perhaps a bit too many details about the dysfunction, but it is basically a better piece of prose.

reply by the author on 01-Dec-2022

thanks i agree it is a better piece thanks to your suggestions.

reply by Sandra Nelms-Ludwig on 01-Dec-2022

Yes, there was a good improvement in the overall piece.

Comment from Jannypan (Jan)

Excellent

You did a good job with your contest entry, Jake, All of the
All of the foods sounded great, too. I believe this contest
required a story not a poem. Maybe you could add some
details to each line to turn it into a prose work. You could
add things like what was your favorite food/why, did you help
prepare or grow any of the vegetables, etc.
Best wishes in the contest, Jan

 Comment Written 30-Nov-2022

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reply by the author on 30-Nov-2022

I'll double check the format thanks as always

Comment from Ricky1024

Excellent

Warning!
Don't review this hungry!
Quite a Large Thanksgiving!
And, because I just cooked.
I thought it was an undertaking!
This is a Holiday Recipe Story Contest Entry rich in Theme and Imagery
It also, read well and Flowed well with No Grammar Issues.
...
Complete Synopsis:
The Adjective and Objective Contents were both Excellent and Exceptional while Descriptive Measures Aligned most Perfectly.
Good luck with your contest entry and when is Christmas Dinner?
Doctor Ricky1024

 Comment Written 30-Nov-2022

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reply by the author on 30-Nov-2022

thanks as always

reply by the author on 01-Dec-2022

thanks. I revised the story to be a story (the prompt was for fiction only) and took into account your and other's suggestions. here is the revised version

Thanks again


Growing up in Berkeley, in the 60s and 70s, my favorite holidays were Thanksgiving and Christmas. On those days, our dysfunctional family came together and had a good meal. Then the next day back to the constant bickering, and fighting as we just did not get along. My parents were an odd couple, a love-hate relationship. My two siblings (older and younger) bonded together and hated me and my younger sister because they were convinced we were both losers and did not have what it took to succeed in life. When I became successful in life they never forgave me for that crime. The last time we had a holiday meal was in the late 80s. Since then, why bother? They never send Christmas cards or presents, and I reciprocate and never do the same.
But on Thanksgiving and Christmas, we put all of that aside and enjoyed the day and best meal of the year. My mother was from Arkansas and did a traditional southern style Holiday treat- the same meal for both days.
She cooked, but the kids helped out, and my father carved the bird. I made the stuffing, my older brother made the sweat potatoes with marshmallows, my younger brother made mashed potatoes and my sister made the salad.
It all started with a big bird, a Turkey, of course, stuffed with stuffing. We never did Goose, Cornish game hens, or God forbid Tofu Turkey -although being in Berkeley that was a common alternative. But not in "the World According to Mary Aller," for my southern traditionalist mother, it had to be Turkey, and that was it.
The stuffing consisted of a commercial stuffing mixture, bread, and herbs. I added to the mix apples, bacon bits, carrots, ham, and a little orange juice. One year I added bamboo shoots, chestnuts, mushrooms, and walnuts, and Mother, horrified, looked at me as if I were out of mind, but afterward said, "That was good" and we added that to our family stuffing recipes.
The sides were great
Two kinds of cranberry sauces ? smooth and chunky, both bought at the Berkeley Co-Op where my father was president. It went bankrupt after my father died in 1985.
Green beans with bacon bits, garlic, and onions,
Greens southern style -either collard or spinach. turnip, kale, or all four, boiled with bacon, brown sugar, ham bits, and molasses, with bourbon for flavoring
Grits with ham, and cheese, cooked in bacon grease (none of my friends knew what grits were)
Garlic mashed potatoes.
Salad
Sweet potatoes with marshmallows.
Wild rice and white rice cooked and served separately.
And pecan pie with vanilla ice cream for dessert.
Wine, and bourbon, for the adults, starting when I was 18 allowed me to partake.
Leftover sandwiches for days,
Bacon, eggs, grits, and potato pancakes for the next breakfast.