Am I The Only One Who Likes Thanksgiving?

It still, after all these years, blows my mind, when the Christmas decorations come out at nearly the same time as the Halloween ones. And then there's the little pitiful Thanksgiving display, that gets smaller and smaller each year. Poor Thanksgiving: misunderstood and overlooked.

I love Halloween and Christmas, but I love Thanksgiving too. I am blessed because I have the ability to celebrate it with a loving family and food. I like the whole meal prep, getting together for a meal, the fall decor, the bounty, the smells, and the cozy feeling. I've participated in all kinds of Thanksgiving. Small crowds, large crowds, immediate family, immediate and extended family, family and friends, and just friends. I've eaten traditional fare, unusual fare (taco salad anyone?), and I even prepared an entire vegan feast. I've been home for the holiday and out of state. I've had Thanksgiving on vacation (my favorite away Thanksgiving was when the kids were really young and the four of us had a Hawaiian style dinner in Kona in our condo we rented and one kid was in her diaper only and the other one in his underwear. Rick and I were in bathing suits for the meal). Memories....

However, a lot of folks that I know, don't care about Thanksgiving and thinks it's too much, over-hyped, a pain, a waste, and so on.

But unlike the other two big holidays in the fall, Thanksgiving is so flexible. You can do it however you like. Sure there are customs and traditions I suppose, but you can tweak them a lot easier than you can the other ones. There's no pressure for material gifts, just the gift of your time.

Thoughts?

Tacoma Mainstay Restaurants A Big Let Down

Note: I got my hand slapped when I tossed this post on the Tacoma News Tribune and rightfully so. I will name names: 1. The Hub 2. The Primo Grill. So there.


Maybe it was remnants of Friday the 13th. Or some weird full moon. Or some bad karma. But my husband and I had two separate and miserable restaurant experiences within 24 hours of each other at two different, favorite, and reliable restaurants in Tacoma. We've been long time customers of both establishments and always put in a good word or a plug for each. Now they've let us down. Here's the scoop.

Restaurant number one: my husband took my son out for dinner. The restaurant was busy, but not overwhelmingly so. To start, the server accidentally spilled an entire beer all over my son. My son was a good sport, accidents happen, and my husband's beer was on the house. Okay? Nope. The service was turtle slow after that, inattentive, and they got the wrong order to boot. Folks that sat down well over 30 minutes AFTER they arrived were eating their food. My husband had had it with the wait. He advised the manager, they took a little off the bill, but still my husband was upset. He is very good at delivering feedback, so it wasn't as if he was a jerk or anything.

Restaurant number two: I took my mom out to a performance at the Pantages and we decided to dine prior. This restaurant was bustling actually, but it seemed like their were quite a number of staff members. Our server really struggled (as she seemed to be doing bartending duties as well). She didn't seem to know the menu very well nor did she really know how to mix my mom's drink (she actually asked US what it was and how to do it--we thought it was a fairly common drink). Then the food took forever (others were getting served that came in quite later than us). Our poor server seemed to be walking around in circles aimlessly (we tried to have empathy but were getting frustrated because we had a show to catch and parking to contend with). When we got our order, part of mine was inedible (like eating a tablespoon of kosher salt) and my mom got the totally wrong order. Other folks at nearby tables were having similar experiences (one had worse food luck than us--ice cold, inedible pork that was so dry you could hear it crack off the bone). My mom and I recognized one of the owners (who very warmly welcomed us at arrival). Mom decided to go share her concerns (as our server was no where to be found). I overheard my mom and she was very nice, yet gave constructive feedback. The owner scowled, didn't say a word, rung up our check, and slammed it on the table and walked away. We were SHOCKED (as were the other patrons, who too were having problems). No offer to discount the meal, no offer to make things right.

So, what gives?

The restaurant business is a tough business indeed. It always has been. Compounded by a bad economy, it's worse. But COME ON. These restaurants let my family and I down. I am sorry if it's a bad night, if there are employee issues, or whatever, but folks, you've got to step up. Tacoma has a wonderful culinary/restaurant scene, which I hate to see sullied by this terrible service.

Readers, bloggers: tell me, what would you do? How would you move forward? Share your bad restaurant experiences HERE.

Sharpen your poison pencils and let 'er rip!

These Monkeys Went To Heaven: Seattle Pixies Concert Review

There's no better way than to spend Friday the 13th watching creepy weirdo French horror movie clips from the old days as the backdrop for the fabulous and quirky Pixies. Bring along your eight year old daughter and it adds so much more texture to a cool night. Yeah, I had friends lined up, but Erin INSISTED on going. I caved. Good move on my part. (And thank goodness I saw other parents bringing same age kids so I didn't feel like a jerk).

The first thing I noticed when we arrived (besides that I wasn't a jerk parent) was that the crowd at the Paramount Friday night was freakin', well, OLD. Yeah, I am old I guess, but I don't always see that (denial), but the crowd was in their late thirties to mid fifties. Seriously. All Pacific Northwesterners wearing their sensible cold weather clothes, munching on sensible healthy snacks (bottled water and Cliff Bars), and further, those that sat in my section (sans one bitchin' dude) sat perfectly (and utterly) STILL the whole show. I was pondering to myself (aloud--no I don't have an appropriate silent filter at times), "God, everyone is so old." My daughter responded, "Dude, what's your deal? This show is for everyone! Who cares? YOU look young. You need to get over it."

Yes, she's eight. And we go on.

Pathetically, there was a makeshift "mosh pit" on the floor (I was in the mezzanine) and it was well, SLOW moving. I suspect none of the participants were in the shape of their teens and twenties and could keep pace. It was mildly sad, majorly wistful as I spent my fair share fighting through the so-called mosh pits in the so-called grunge days of Seattle.

But the music was cool. Super cool. The starter band was a White Stripes-esque duo from L.A. called "No Age." There were okay, cute, and loud.

Then, came with those film clips I mentioned in paragraph one. Then the band emerged and played all their "Doolittle" B-sides (a real treat for me, as some of the songs I hadn't heard in years) and then they played all of the "Doolittle" songs in precise order. At first I thought that was lame, but then I liked it. It was so anticipatory and exciting. I thought it was cute when the crowd sang along word for word to "Hear Comes Your Man," "Hey" and "Chained." Black Francis sounded GREAT--his voice was strong and pretty stunning, the band was tight, and Kim Deal had the goofiest Dorothy Hamill haircut. But all was good. My biggest highlight was seeing my daughter rock and sing along to "Debaser." Priceless.

Bang! Bang!

"Bang! Bang!" is a cool yet mildly creepy little song. I've heard current groups do this song and I've heard it in other languages. However, Nancy Sinatra just nails it with her haunting voice. Take it away, Nancy.

Drink Beer and Help Kids and Families at Mary Bridge (Yes, Really)

Nothing says fall better than a deliciously dark and stout stein of great beer. Beer. Yum!

So, raise your glasses, get some great food, be thoroughly entertained, and bid on fabulous auction items at Oktoberfest by Chambers Creek Orthopedic Guild, Tacoma Orthopedic Association. Oktoberfest is being held at Annie Wright School in Tacoma's Old Town neighborhood on November 14th from 6 PM to 10 PM. Tickets to the event are $45.00 per person. Proceeds from this event will benefit Mary Bridge Children's Hospital and Health Center.

And they will have beer there! Beer tasting! Frothy, delicious beer.

What's better than sipping the suds, dining on fun German fare, and having a casual evening out with friends and doing good for the hospital? Not much else.

Oh, and did I mention the beer?

Intrigued? Thirsty? Get moving because tickets are limited. E-mail your reservation to this e-mail address: foxbeacher@earthlink.net to reserve your tickets.

The Prettiest and Grittiest Dog on the Planet

Happy Halloween, Pirates and Cocktail Waitresses!