Thanksgving For All Faiths

Sorry Liebchen, No Monopoly
Schuyler, busy mixing cocktails for the arriving neighbors, tonight decided to make a new drink called Laughing at the Waves. When asked why he chose this one, he said it was simply because he liked cocktails that mixed Campari with vodka. Tonight he selected a vodka we'd heard was good but had never tried, Tito's Vodka, from Texas! Schuyler had read that Tito's Vodka had received high accolades for their excellent vodka and decided to try it tonight. The drink also called for a small measure of Martini & Rossi dry vermouth.

 

Elizabeth, his wife, helped him serve the cocktails and also joined him in beginning our conversation, which centered around the feeling we have up here that the extreme religious right does not own Thanksgiving. Schuyler and Elizabeth were talking about how that radical fringe group and the never-to-be-outdone-on-the-hypocrisy-scale Republicans were trying to usurp not only God, but also Thanksgiving. As we learned from a Jewish Rabbi, Eric Yoffie, the extreme religious right has no monopoly on God, and thankfully, neither do George Bush, Rush Limbaugh, Bill O'Reilly or those other lunatics, Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson.

 

Elizabeth On Illusion
Elizabeth, always good at remembering lines from important plays, quoted these lines from The Glass Menagerie, by Tennessee Williams: "I have tricks in my pocket, I have things up my sleeve. But I am the opposite of a stage magician. He gives illusion that has the appearance of truth. I give you truth in the pleasant disguise of illusion."

Amazingly, these lines, as soon as Elizabeth had quoted them to us, we knew would be in our minds for many, many days to come. In our political and religious reality, who is the stage magician, and who is telling us the truth? Bob, asked, "Don't smoke screens give you illusion in the appearance of truth?" Weighty words, but useful, at an important time of year. Barry and Kim, Jews who moved into our neighborhood from Israel not even a year ago, told us that the "religious right" did not have a monopoly on God and didn't have one on Thanksgiving either. Barry explained that they had read up on Thanksgiving together with our new neighbors, the two couples who just moved here from Iraq with their children.

 

Going back to Schuyler and Elizabeth's conversation and Elizabeth's quote on illusion, Barry said this celebration should not be an illusion, rather he said, it should be a reality, and is, since more and more people around the world are beginning to celebrate it. Kim explained that around the world Thanksgiving had lost the illusion of the kind-hearted pilgrims and the happy Native Americans, and instead, had gained the reality that Jew or Muslim, Protestant or Catholic, Hindu or Buddhist, Baha'i or Scientologist, Sikh or Unitarian, Atheist or Agnostic, and especially Native American, all people who had kept their self-respect and not succumbed to corruption and brutal behavior, and who also managed to have something, no matter how little, would gather and give thanks.

 

Schuyler On Reality
This loving couple always find good ways in which to express themselves, but they are also realists, and Schuyler said that in these days where many will celebrate, prayers should be said for the souls of the Republicans and the extreme religious right who have made the conscious decision to ally themselves heart and soul with the Republicans because here at home, these two groups have made the deliberate decision to only slowly and grudgingly help the victims of Katrina and Rita, This very second, thousands of them are being advised that they will soon lose what housing they have. Those two radical groups have barely lifted a collective finger to help the hapless victims of the horrendous earthquake in Pakistan, where surely, because of Republican and religious right extremist foot-dragging, untold thousands of Pakistanis will freeze to death in the coming weeks and months.

 

Compassionate conservatives indeed, that's the reality Schuyler said. Lastly, Elizabeth told us, right before coming over she had read that that paragon of religious virtue, Dick Cheney, had just hauled into his office for a sound scolding Senators John McCain, John Warner and Lindsey Graham, to snarlingly, with that swastika-like downward angle of his snarling lips, because of their refusal to help him get the authority he wants to be able to torture detainees. Well, Liebchen Cheney, these Senators, who are more manly and upright than you, aren't going to grant you your Thanksgiving wish: the right to torture to your heart's content. Can you imagine, on the eve of Thanksgiving, still pressuring the government to allow you to use torture? How do you say swine in 100 languages? Help, somebody?

 

Teenagers: Bang That Gong, Dinner's On
What is it about teenagers that keep them in a perpetual state of hunger? Doesn't really matter, we're so happy that they're willing to eat when we eat and what we eat. We're sorry the dining room isn't large enough to hold both adults and kids, but at least we're all in close proximity and can spend time right after dinner when we have our after-dinner coffee.

 

Kim and Barry, Chefs For Tonight
We had been begging Kim to make her famous Salmon Mousse, and tonight she delighted us by preparing it for us. She garnished the little triangles of mousse with salmon eggs and fresh chervil leaves and a drizzle of chive oil. For the mousse, Kim and Barry chose a Washington State sparkling wine, a Domaine Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Extra Dry wine with apple and dried pineapple flavors, giving hints of both tart and sweet flavors, perfect for this mousse.

Barry had suggested this soup, which has some Middle Eastern aspects, his Lamb and Lentil Soup, made with his homemade stock. Right before serving the soup, Barry stirred in some chopped parsley, adding a perfect touch to this soup for a cool evening. Kim and Barry didn't have any trouble deciding to pair their rich soup with a very dry five-year old Cossart Gordon Sercial Madeira.

Together in the kitchen, this couple really shines! Their simple White Sole Sautéed with Grapes, served with Arborio rice and a Roast Pepper Terrine and paired with a Rancho Zabaco 2004 California Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc, which was grassy and had hints of lime juice spice was a marriage made in, well, the kitchen.

Our familiar little dollops of fruit sorbet serve only to clear the palate for a different dish, beautifully separating the fish from the meat courses. It's not just some exercise in being effete: it works, try it at home.

Barry surprised us by serving a beautifully poached chicken, and instead of serving warm vegetables on the plates, served a side-plate of Salade Niçoise, both of which paired excellently with a Jaillance Clarette de Die Cuvée Impériale from France.

A word about Kim's Roast Pepper Terrine. She makes them in several Le Creuset enameled cast iron terrine molds, but layers the vegetables so artfully, that when sliced, we are presented with little works of art.

 

Winding Down
We wanted to spend a few minutes with the teenagers, so we had our Mango Tartlets and after-dinner coffee back in the great room. We were surprised at how much they had learned from our discussion over the points made by Rabbi Eric Yoffie. They are all bright kids, and none would ever rush to blindly embrace a theory without questioning it thoroughly, but they were, one and all, deeply affected by Rabbi Yoffie's comparison of the Nazis to the extreme religious right in this country. One of our kids just said: Hate is hate, and it shouldn't exist in religion, and torture shouldn't exist, as it does in the hearts and minds of Cheney and Bush. Well said, and well-thought out.

 

Summary:
Our government, on the eve of Thanksgiving, is presenting us with illusion, whereas we, the people, need reality. On the very eve of Thanksgiving, when people everywhere, of whatever faith, lack of faith, national origin or ethnic variety will be celebrating good and expressing thanks for even having a little to be thankful for. At the same time, the Republicans and the extreme religious right have dragged their feet on helping the victims of Katrina, Rita, and the Pakistani earthquake. Cheney and Bush are assiduously harassing members of Congress, which will not grant these two the right to continue to use torture. Poor white trash, those Cheney's and Bushes.

 

Key words:
Thanksgiving, Campari, Tito's Vodka, Martini & Rossi, Rabbi Eric Yoffie, The Glass Menagerie, Tennessee Williams, Republicans, extreme religious right, Katrina and Rita victims, Pakistani earthquake, compassionate conservatives, Dick Cheney, John McCain, John Warner, Lindsey Graham, Domaine Ste. Michelle Columbia Valley Extra Dry, Cossart Gordon Sercial Madeira, Rancho Zabaco 2004 California Dancing Bull Sauvignon Blanc, Jaillance Clarette de Die Cuvée Impériale, Le Creuset

©Copyright 2005 Grindstaff Chronicles. All Rights Reserved.
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Reprinted from The Grindstaff Chronicles Newsletter which is published in the USA by farmers, ranchers, and neighbors.

It is intended to share the thoughts and lifestyle of people who work hard, like to relax and enjoy life, and are often dismayed by news, politics, and the events of the day that defy common sense.
http://www.GrindstaffChronicles.com
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