With the situation the way it is, we would do well to temper our expectations for the holidays this year. Life is full of mysteries, full of celebrations, sometimes full of disappointments and all three collided in what is known in my house as “The Blue Turkey Affair.”
Being from a large family, we required a large bird and a large bird required a large Granite·Ware® oval roasting pan, which was most likely a wedding gift to my parents in 1957. The Backs household on Christmas day was utter sweet chaos, an explosion of wrapping and chocolates and newly acquired socks, toys and pyjamas. Around noon my mother would switch gears and begin dinner preparations, and soon the smells from the kitchen would fill the house. This year would begin no differently, with the bird filled with stuffing, the roasting pan, in its annual ritual, brought forth from the back of the cupboard and stuffed with the bird and, once the racks were adjusted to accommodate, further stuffed into the oven. The rum sauce for the fruitcake was on the stove and periodically tested for proof and somehow it always needed a bit more rum. So the afternoon went.
At the appointed hour the clan was all seated and awaiting the carving of the grand, golden skinned fowl. The first cut of the breast and the first slice came off to an astonished gasp, the meat was indigo blue! We were dumbfounded and, looking around at the puzzled faces of my family, I caught a wide-eyed jolt of recognition on my brother’s face. He sheepishly explained that that summer he had, while in a quest to re-dye his jean jacket, decided the best vessel to mix the denim dye in was the rarely used oval roasting pan. This would have been fine but he neglected to, as my mother had always done, scrub the pan before returning it to the rear of the cupboard. We ordered Chinese.
With the help of elves and angels, from Debra Dee, the Roberts Creek Community Association, and our friends and neighbours, there is a take-home Christmas meal for any and all who need it. Your deadline to participate is Saturday, Dec. 12, so your first step is to get to the General Store. All the details are on the available sign-up sheet, but the ever helpful Debra can field calls from those of you who are stuck at home and need the cheer. There is a special call to get these meals to our shut-in community, so please let these elves put a smile on your face and a spread on your table – it’s what they do. As well, there is a need for volunteer delivery reindeer, food prep elves and cash donations from all the Santas in disguise. The whole hall will be set up to keep everyone helping comfortable and safe while this important task is performed on the 19th and 20th. Call Ms. Dee at 604-741-8669. I promise there will be no blue food.
