Not having anywhere to go for Thanksgiving, I asked the residence hall association for my dorm if I could cook Thanksgiving dinner for the hall (and have them foot the bill). They gleefully agreed. The association did not mind spending money on food if I was willing to cook the meal. At this moment in time, I had not cooked much. I could make instant mac and cheese, Ramen noodles and heat up hot dogs in the microwave. How much more difficult would it be to make a Thanksgiving Day meal? You just had to put the turkey in the oven, open some cans of veggies and heat them in the microwave and throw some brown and serve rolls in the oven for a few minutes. This should be a breeze! What could possibly go wrong?
I go the day before Thanksgiving to the grocery store to buy the necessary food items. I buy a fresh turkey because I did not want to deal with thawing a turkey. When I arrive back at my dorm, I store the refrigerated items in my resident hall director's room since he is the only person in the dorm who has a full size refrigerator. I tell the hall director I will be back the next morning at 9 a.m. to retrieve the food to begin making Thanksgiving dinner.
The next morning, I arrive at the residence hall director's room. He does not answer. I knock and knock. I wait and wait. Finally an hour later, he answers the door. He had been sleeping and then got up to take a shower. He did not hear me knock. When I get the turkey out of his refrigerator, I am horrified! The hall director stored the turkey in the back of his refrigerator next to the wall. This caused the fridge to run cold and partially froze the turkey!!! I grab all the food and run downstairs to the shared communal kitchen to begin making the meal.
I do not know what to do with a partially froze turkey. I turn on the oven and attempt to check the turkey for any giblets inside its cavity. However, the turkey has metal wiring which ties the legs together and makes accessing the turkey cavity nearly impossible. Since the turkey is partially frozen, I can not loosen the metal wire. I visually scan the turkey cavity for giblets. Not seeings any, I throw the turkey in the oven and hope it would get done quickly.
A resident assistant (RA) helps me prepare part of the meal. She knows how to make mashed potatoes. She prepares the potatoes. She then uses a metal potato masher to mash the potatoes. As she is mashing the spuds, she notices there are black flecks in the potatoes. She thinks it is odd as she did not add any pepper. She continues mashing and more and more "pepper" seems to magically be added to her dish.
Two hours after we were supposed to have had Thanksgiving dinner, the turkey is still in the oven. I am exhausted, and the dinner guests are very hungry and crabby. I take the turkey out and hope at least part of it is edible. When the RA empties the pot of her mashed potatoes, she realizes what the "pepper" is. It is flecks of Teflon from the cooking pot the metal potato masher scraped off as she was mashing the spuds. The RA asks me what she should do. I reply, "It's late. We do not have any more potatoes. Just add some pepper to them. No one will know the difference." The RA takes my suggestion and adds some pepper to the dish.
When we serve the meal, I am in charge of carving the meat. Thankfully, the basement has very dim lighting. People cannot see the turkey is very under cooked. I carve a little ways into the breast, and the meat is raw! I then start cutting from a different area of the bird.
I do not remember if anyone actually liked the meal. Everyone was very tired waiting so long for the turkey to cook. I ate only a little bit.
When the food is returned back to the kitchen area, the RA and I start cleaning the dishes and putting away the food. Since the turkey is now thawed, I can finally remove the metal wire holding the legs together. When the wire is removed, to my shock, there inside the bird is a bag of giblets!!! I remove the bag and place them in the pan along with the turkey. I place the turkey back in the oven for several more hours to finish cooking.
At the end of the experience, I learned many things. First, and foremost, give praise and thanks to those folks who prepare Thanksgiving dinner. It may seem like an easy feat, but many, MANY things go wrong. Also, never give up. Although this was my first time preparing a meal for a gathering of people, it was not my last. I have since made many meals for others and enjoy the challenge of making a large quantity of food. And lastly, laugh! Whenever I prepare a chicken or turkey, I ALWAYS check for giblets. If I cannot access them due to metal, plastic or string tying up the legs, I always get rid of these hindrances and put my hand into the bird to feel for any surprises inside.
May this day be blessed and be filled with lots of love, laughter and properly cooked food. Happy Thanksgiving!
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