Well, here we are with Thanksgiving right around the corner. I guess I can’t help but feel a bit like a pilgrim coming ashore in this wild and wonderful land. And the natives, at least the female version, are very, very friendly! Lots of them anyway. For a price. Or maybe that’s just the ones I tend to meet.
I took a long and solitary walk yesterday morning during which I mostly reflected on my good fortune and all that I have to be thankful for. I’m living a rich and easy life and I’m starting to understand that not having a woman to share that life with me may in fact be yet another blessing. Positive thoughts like that were the highlight of the walk for sure. I got my feet soaked several times doing stream crossings and once the trail dead-ended into a muddy rice field I had to wade across. Even so, my spirits were barely dampened.
The Hash Gash (aka Harriettes or females) had a girls’ day out yesterday at the Alta Vista pool. One of the photos from that event now graces the cover of the Subic Bay Hash Facebook page:
I went to Alley Cats in the afternoon to play in the regular Saturday tournament. Didn’t have enough players show up for doubles so we did a singles tournament. That suits me just fine, no one to blame but myself that way. Billy, a fine darter who also runs the tourney, knocked me into the losers bracket. I fought my way back to meet her again in the finals and beat her twice to take the championship. Good darts and hard-fought matches all afternoon. I like it that way!
Now, I mentioned before about having bought a frozen turkey a few days ago. Well, yesterday my neighbor and fellow Hasher, Ed, invited me to his house for Thanksgiving. I told him I was already preparing for a feast at my house and he suggested we combine forces. Sure, why not? That’s what the spirit of the holiday is all about, so the more the merrier. I had already made plans for a pilgrimage to S&R (a large Costco like store) in the hope of acquiring some hard to find traditional TG food.
This morning Ed informed me that the plans had changed again and now the gathering would be at the Alta Vista community center. Ed’s Filipina girlfriend wanted to invite more of her friends so a larger venue was needed. Hey, it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without the natives, right? Now we are looking at upwards of twenty guests. That’s more than my turkey can feed but Ed is going to bring a ham as well. Alrighty then, I headed out to S&R to see what I could see.
It’s been over a year since my last visit and today I was reminded why. What a major disappointment. I picked up a few things I can use but nothing like what I hoped and expected to find. Not even sour cream for fuck sakes. A lot of the stuff comes in huge ass sizes too so it’s problematic with my already overfull and too small refrigerator. In addition to the hassle and expense of getting there, I had to purchase a membership and that was also a pain in the ass.
Like I said, little or nothing of what I needed but I did get some stuff I can use.
I thought I might at least be able to get some frozen pies to bake for the feast. Nope! I did see some tables with baked goods and found this:
Oh well, I’ll do Royal again on Tuesday and hope to at least find some cranberry sauce.
I threw my boys a bone and they were happy. I guess I should try and learn from them.
Anyway, things don’t always go as planned, but they go regardless. Best to just enjoy the ride!
My instinct as an introvert would be to keep the gathering small and relatively quiet/sedate, so there would be no joining of forces for me. The more people you involve in prepping something, the more potential for fuck-ups, miscommunication, personality conflicts, etc. No, thanks. Having said that, I realize I’m Monday-morning quarterbacking, so just ignore everything I’m saying and stick with your decision. I hope the gathering goes well, that no one acts like an asshole, and that the food turns out to be plentiful enough. (I also hope Ed’s ham will add enough protein to feed the hungry troops.) Good luck with prep and service! I’ll be wanting to see pictures of all the victuals!
Well, I am tempted to do two…one small and the big group but not likely now. Everyone is bringing something so there should be food enough to go around. As much as the natives love fowl foods I’m surprised turkey isn’t more popular here. I have seen some birds on my walks but never in the markets.
I don’t think there will be any issues people-wise and with a large group, it will be easy to bail if and when it stops being fun.