Kekoanui Life: Thanksgiving on the Beach

Trying to decide how to celebrate Thanksgiving in a new place is rather odd. Do you go ahead and attempt to prepare a traditional meal in your new (and not very well-equipped) kitchen? Do you break with tradition and just fix a pizza? Or do you accept an invitation from a well-meaning stranger who is kind enough to think that newcomers shouldn't be all alone on this family-focused holiday?

Back in the old days, we dressed up for Thanksgiving dinner. The folks would invite another family over and the kids would go off into another room and watch TV or play Twister or Clue or Life while the parents did whatever parents do when the kids are out of the way for a while.

When all the food was finally ready (which always seemed to take forever), Dad would be called upon to carve the turkey, which he did with much dedication, carefully segregating the different types of meat onto the platter so the diners could easily select their favorite portion: white meat, dark meat, drumsticks, and the cherished tuchas (or tukus, or tuckus, or however you want to spell it)...that is the rear end where the tail feathers used to be. I never personally liked the tuchas - I was a thigh girl.

Dad (carving) and Grandpa Kordner (observing), circa 1965

In recent years, our Thanksgiving family get togethers have been pretty stressful. I've taken to referring to it as "Angst"-giving. Everyone seems to spend more time getting their feelings hurt and being angry than enjoying each other's company. I usually try to lay low until around 5 pm when I can get Dad to whip up a couple of martinis. A few years ago, we thought that maybe it would be less work for Mom (and fewer meltdowns) if we went out for dinner. So we all met in San Francisco for a Chinese dinner on Thanksgiving Day. I won't go into the details, which are better off forgotten, but suffice it to say that this strategy did not work and has never been tried again!

So this year, here I am in Maui, with not enough time or money to enjoy a family Thanksgiving with Mom and Dad. But happily, a coworker of mine at Maui Community College invited me and George to join a Thanksgiving potluck on the beach. We did not know a soul there - even my coworker, Renee, was someone I had only met once and did not even recognize in her hat and sunglasses! Fortunately, she recognized me and introduced us to lots of other really nice people. Although Renee had extended the invitation to the MCC community, everyone there was actually asociated with the Kihei Canoe Club, where Renee is a member.

There was lots of food - all of it delicious! We had our share of traditional Thanksgiving fare: turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries, and pumpkin pie...plus other delicious potluck food like ham, baked beans and cornbread. It was a beautiful day, but incredibly windy and every so often a big gust would blow through and everyone had to chase down a tornado of plates and bags and foil.

Thanksgiving at Kamaole III Beach Park

So this year, the Thanksgiving story had a happy ending (except for the turkey). And we made sure to carry on the tradition of the Thanksgiving martini, inspired by my friend Robin, a somewhat tall girl...thanks Robin!

And the best part? Three more days off!