Thanksgiving: The Aftermath

Did everybody have a wonderful Turkey Day?

At our home, it was a Northwest feast: miso salmon wearing purple potato scales, oyster dressing, sauteed kale, curried delicata squash soup, salad dressed in a pear and cranberry chutney vinaigrette. Apple pie for dessert. We were all mighty thankful for the 1999 Cabernet from Woodward Canyon.

Select leftovers were folded into pasta last night, as we sat around the table one last time with friends and family from out of town. They buttered me up with compliments. There were no dramas, just lots of laughs and sillyness.

We went to movies, skipping the Black Friday sales, and did a quick visit to the Seattle Art Museum and hung out at the UW Bookstore. Packed in a whole lot this weekend. I'm not the kind of person who thinks company is like fish. Starting to stink after three days.

I'm happy to see them come and sad to watch them leave. And hope they come back again soon.

Digesting Food Inc.

Finally saw Food Inc. last night and was worried I would have nightmares. It was damn scary.

This morning, I heeded the call to action and started planning an entirely new Thanksgiving menu, sourced entirely at neighborhood farmers markets and my husband said: "You know, sometimes ignorance is bliss."

Yes, that's true. It takes a lot of effort to do the right thing. I know I'm late to the table with this question, but I can't help wondering: How did seeing this movie affect you? Did it bring lasting change to the way you cook/eat?

Most people have good intentions about eating right, but the system's gamed. Cheap food comes from factory farms, that's the bottom line. It costs more to buy directly from farmers, I get that.

I am going to redouble my efforts to support sustainability as much as my super tight budget will allow. Starting on Thanksgiving. Just put in a call to Olsen Farms, asking what was available. Maybe I'll see you at the U-District Farmer's Market tomorrow?

What a great trip!

Sure had a filling trip to Memphis and Oxford, Miss., for the Southern Foodways Alliance Symposium, three days of food, fellowship and big, big fun.

The combination of scholarly discourse and incredible food is what keeps coming me back to this annual event. I've met so many interesting people, all coming together to celebrate food traditions of the South.

This year's focus on music was so perfect, given the depth of musical talent to come out of that region. Serving red beans and rice cooked on a recipe inspired by a gone, but not forgotten restaurant in New Orleans before talking about the way musicians gathered at that venerable place was brilliant.

Sunday morning's Chitlin ballet -- formally called Pork Songs -- was followed by a banquet of baked fish, greens, grits and heaps of bacon and biscuits cooked by John Currence's crew at City Grocery.

That was my second breakfast. I had to go back to Big Bad Breakfast to taste whether the grit cake (pictured with a side of tomato gravy, a biscuit and andouille sausage) was as good the first time I tried it. Heck yes!

Already looking forward to next year.