(log) It's Thanksgiving Time!

[forethinking]

Who: Ren and You
When: Thanksgiving Day
Where: ADI's cafeteria
Summary: A little thanksgiving party for everyone.
Warnings: Alcohol, but other than that, none!



(It's finally the day! Ren's spent the day in the canteen, from the early hours of the morning with the help of Kate, until just close enough to the arranged time.

Several tables in the cafeteria are taken by the food, but there's still plenty of room to sit and spend time with your fellow ADI employees. After the previous month everyone has had, it feels much needed. Available is the following menu:

Deep-fried Turkey + Stuffing;
Ranch-Seasoned Roast Turkey + Stuffing;
Mashed Potatoes + Gravy;
Green Bean Casserole;
Cranberry Sauce;
Pasta alla Norma;
Sicilian Rice Balls;
S'mores Cupcakes
Pumpkin Pie;
Apple Pie;
Sweet Baked Potato;
Pecan Pie;
Roasted Vegetables;
Stuffed Mushrooms;
Squash Soup;
Garlicky Green Beans with Crispy Onions;
A selection of alcohol;

Ren's tried his best to recreate what the Internet and other folks have told him, and without him tasting the original flavors, some of the dishes might have an unexpected twist of spice. Kate has also helped with putting things together, and at the previously arranged time, Ren opens the doors with a smile from ear-to-ear.

Once everyone's settled, he'll ask for a moment to, gasp, speak:)

I'd like to thank everyone for coming today. I know it's been tough, but I'm still thankful we can spend good moments like these together. I hope you enjoy the food.

(And just like so, he'll bow, and hand plates to those ready to eat. Time to dig in!)

Comments

[henchgal]

"Who said I'm drunk? I'm just...festive. I'm celebrating." That last word comes out pretty horribly slurred.

She accepts the donut, licking the gravy off the outside first, to get it nice and clean again.

[ployboy]

Tim hums an appreciative and understanding, "Ah."

He's got a bit of a mouthful of sweet potato but it's fine. Meredith is drunk- she won't care.

"Was Thanksgiving ever a big deal for you back home?"

[henchgal]

"Before I went away to college? Yeah. I mean, some years, we couldn't afford a turkey, so Mom would just get a rotisserie chicken at the grocery store." Like Meredith sometimes does for the boys. Making stock from the bones and using the meat in every imaginable way. Chicken noodle casserole, chicken salad sandwiches.

Clearly this resourcefulness was learned from her mother.

[ployboy]

What happened at college? Is she like Dick, was there some hard misunderstanding going on? Something else entirely?

A question for sobriety. If ever. Tim's mechanically poking at his food but there's still a wistful little feeling. "That sounds cool," he says and immediately scrunches his nose-- don't take it the wrong way. He's trying to find the... word. "Cozy? Like I'm imagining some hectic shopping and then hanging out in the kitchen. I don't know. Was it just you two?"

[henchgal]

"No, also my dad and my little brother. Though neither of them helped much with the cooking."

She looks wistful for a moment, before taking a bite of the jelly donut. "Hanukkah starts on Sunday, this year, by the way. Don't worry, it's not a big deal, I won't really be doing anything for it, this is close enough to a holiday thing for me."

[ployboy]

In lieu of apologizing for the usefulness of men everywhere, Tim's bit by the urge to point out that he cooked with his stepmother once. Steph had been sick with the sniffles, he remembers. And Dana had literally jumped at the chance to help him do something, what with Jack being in a depressed rut and everything.

Tim chews his potato-cranberry abomination.

"What does 'not really doing anything' for Hanukkah mean? Is there something you wanna do that we could help with?"

[henchgal]

"I was planning on picking up a cheap menorah and lighting it in my room alone. I mean, that and fried food--potato pancakes, jelly donuts--are the biggest traditions."

It hadn't really occurred to her to ask the boys to join her. Surely they wouldn't be interested, right?

[ployboy]

Jelly donuts, like the ones she brought. Oh. Tim nods along appreciatively, while simultaneously desperately searching his brain for whatever pleasant trivia on religion it harbors. "My mom kept a menorah," he says, and pauses his chewing to swallow so he doesn't continue as some sort of heathen.

He leaves out the added thought of well, sometimes and he drinks his water. "I wouldn't mind having one around, like, the living room, if you think it's a better place for it."

[henchgal]

"Traditionally, it's supposed to be in a window somewhere. That one in the kitchen that faces the patio, maybe? I don't think it'll be too in the way there."

Maybe. Probably. She sounds almost sort of vaguely hopeful.