SPEAKER_00 0:03

Welcome millions upon millions, perhaps billions, of faithful podcast listeners. We are your hosts, Jason Kimber and Dave Simmons. We'll bring you along with us as we share life stories from our experiences living in small towns, or in Jason's case, an unincorporated community.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

That's true.

SPEAKER_00 0:19

Along with genius suggestions for solving world problems and a whole lot of laughs. This is the Small Towns Podcast. Jason Kimber, Dave Simmons here, once again with you live from our illustrious recording studio in my basement. That's where all the all the magic happens. There's a lot of there's uh there's a lot of like powerhouse. I mean, I don't want to make the comparison, but I believe Apple was started in Steve Jobs space or garage. Something. Something. I mean it was somewhere. It's definitely happening somewhere. Uh you know, a lot of times these podcasts, Dave, and we've said this before, we'll sit down and we'll record two or three or four at a time, and um, and we try not to make them too um time sensitive because we release them as we can, as we get them edited, things of that nature. But this one, we're definitely gonna put a big old timestamp on this one because because we are uh this is the week of Thanksgiving. We gotta get cracking then. Yeah. Yeah, Thanksgiving is in like two days. Yeah, it says two, yeah, two days. And I'm I'm just gonna go ahead and say it. Thanksgiving. Oh say it because I'm gonna say it, I'm gonna second the motion. You're gonna second the motion? My favorite holiday. Me too. Without without question. I love it. And and it's because there's a lot of reasons. We're gonna jump into this probably much more detail, but um I mean it's all the all the good things, like you can really reflect on what you're thankful for. You're you're typically in a at a at a time where you're you're surrounding yourselves with friends and family, um, it's relaxing. I don't know, there's just I and I love the spirit of of the Thanksgiving season. Me too.

SPEAKER_01 1:56

I I think it's I mean a lot of it has to do with the food. Sure. Um, the food is great. Um the families if you're lucky enough to have family around you and you can be able to s to um celebrate with family, that's great. But just I like that is a few days off where there's really nothing to do but eat and maybe watch some football. I mean, uh you don't have to really buy things for people, you don't have to come up with another gift idea, which by the way, is the hardest thing in the world. Uh it's yeah, I I would agree. Finding a gift for certain people is so hard. But you don't have to do that on Thanksgiving. You just get to enjoy the bird. You get to enjoy the bird, and you say, Hey, thank you, pilgrims. Thank you.

SPEAKER_00 2:35

Thank you for being Thanksgiving. Yeah, it's so do you do you usually host? Yeah, that's a great question.

SPEAKER_01 2:44

Um growing up, it was always at the Kimber house, right there in in Grass Creek.

SPEAKER_00 2:51

Grass Grouse Creek. Well, it was always at my granny's house. Now, my granny, it was I think we've talked about this before, but my granny was my my dad's mom, so on the Kimber side, and she went by Granny. Now, my mom's mom, she went by grandma, so it was easy to tell them apart. But granny would always host Thanksgiving, and yeah, when I was young, she lived in Grousecrick, and so we would always go to her home, and then she later uh moved to the Burley, Idaho area, and she would host us every year. But when I say us, and and and sometimes I I think back, and it almost makes me I melancholy is not the word because I love to look back and it's fun memories, but like nostalgic, nostalgic, yes, because we would ho she would host us, but it wasn't just us, it was all of my dad's siblings and their spouses and all of their kids, of course my cousins, and we just we'd spend the whole day together, and um it was just magical. I mean, there was of course a lot of eating, but then afterwards a lot of visiting. Obviously, there was a TV going on if people wanted to watch football. Um, some of the my older cousins, when I was young, they'd go and and if it was a good year, they'd go skiing that night. I mean, it was just a day of pure, we'd play cards late into the night, stay overnight there, and and I I have such fond memories of Thanksgiving. Was and it's it's it's similar, it's different, but yes, similar. But what about yours growing up?

SPEAKER_01 4:14

Um similar. I mean, we would we would kind of try to take turns, I believe, through my mom's side and my dad's side, but I remember definitely my mom's side the most, just because I had I had some close cousins on that side, and and we would get together with the Losley family. Um, and you know, we got big and and it started to get to the point we we were doing it at Judanne and D's house for many years, and um but it got to the point where we had to move into a church. Oh boy, um and you know, and I don't know if I was to count the people, they were probably thirty, yeah, forty, something like that. So at that point you kind of get into get into the into a bigger venue. But I still even remember those as a lot of fun because now you got a a gym where you can play in, tons of food. Um, and as a kid, you don't really think about the food quality, it's just there and it's awesome. I remember certain Aunt Linda used to make all sorts of awesome pies that we lost. You know, certain people had kind of their thing that they would bring, and um, yeah, I'm with you, the m nostalgia of it all. But the funny thing is, is it got to it? I don't know if you guys I think there's a lot of families like ours. When when grandpa and grandma's um pass away, sure, it almost at that age, if they're old enough, it'll get to the point where now other the families will kind of you know break off. Yeah, and and now because they've got their own grandkids and so on.

SPEAKER_00 5:34

And you've got in-laws and whatnot on different sides of the family, and yeah, it's harder to changes.

SPEAKER_01 5:38

It changes, but there is one year it was last couple years of this, you know. I think grandpa had passed away, and I'm pretty I don't know if I don't think grandma had passed away, maybe she had. But um I hope that he doesn't get mad at me for saying this, but it's I I I remember it's it's super funny to me. I can't wait.

SPEAKER_00 5:57

These are my favorite cousin stories.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

So my cousin, my cousin Kim married one of the funniest dudes you know, his name's Aaron, and uh we were we were all sitting in I think the primary room with the tables all set up, and I remember, and maybe this is what I've made up in my mind over the years, but I remember glancing at Aaron, he's just kind of sitting there shaking his head, looking his he's an in-law. Okay, okay you know, so I mean, he didn't have the memories of he's not used to this.

SPEAKER_00 6:22

This could be overwhelming to me, particularly if he was relatively new to the family.

SPEAKER_01 6:25

Yeah, and and and I guess I can somewhat relate now that in in my life where we're at with the different sides of the family and trying to get it all happening. And um, so Aaron's sitting there kind of looking at his food and looking around, and he finally says, So, how long are we gonna do this? And it's basically like, you know what, you guys, it's been a good run.

SPEAKER_00 6:49

We're we're gonna have to be done with this. So when he said this, it wasn't just the activity, it was like Thanksgiving in general.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

In general, like we're gonna be done. And so in my I like to pern, I mean, somebody's gotta take the fall. So let's so let's let Aaron was the one that broke up the Losley family Thanksgiving. Thanks a lot, Aaron.

SPEAKER_02 7:10

Thanks a lot, Aaron.

SPEAKER_01 7:11

Oh, he's so funny. Yeah, that was it was that I'll never forget. That was such a funny thing. And by the way, Aaron, you're probably right. It was probably time.

SPEAKER_00 7:20

Well, I guess ours didn't feel quite so um abrupt. It was maybe more of an organic thing. Again, after grandparents pass away, uh and family just gets older, and and again, my cousins get married and have their own families and and whatnot, it's hard to get together. But like, for instance, on this coming Thanksgiving in a couple of days, we'll go up to uh um, we'll do Heather's side of the family, we'll go up to her mom's, and um but it's gonna be kind of a small affair because uh a lot of Heather's siblings are doing their spouse's other sides of the family. Yeah, so it's so it's gonna be yours. Yeah, it's off here. So it's gonna be Heather and I and our kids, and I think Heather's younger sister Bobby and her kids, and and that'll be it. And and it'll be fun. And then on Saturday after, which this is pretty common for me, uh particularly after Heather and I got married, we would always, with my family, we would always celebrate uh Thanksgiving like either Friday or Saturday. My brother lived in California, uh, still does, and and so he couldn't really get up here in time, and so it made it nice that we would just do Thanksgiving either Friday or Saturday, and then we're able to do both sides. And so, in that spirit, I'm actually gonna host my brother and his girlfriend and some of their kids, and and um my sister, Lisa, her husband, Eric, and a few of their kids. I mean, not everybody's gonna be able to make it, because again, everybody's spread out, but we're gonna host them here on Saturday. That'd be awesome.

SPEAKER_01 8:38

And I'm I'm cooking a bird. You get it uh now now.

SPEAKER_00 8:41

We really need to get into bird preparation, yes, because everybody's kind of got a different way, um, and everybody thinks their way is the best. But I'm just gonna go ahead and go out on a limb here. Yours and eyes are unquestionably the best way. Oh. I mean, I you gotta brine.

SPEAKER_01 8:59

You've gotta brine. Without without doubt, you have to brine. And people who haven't brined, then it's funny though, because the way I I brine it and then I spatchcock it. Okay, wait a minute.

SPEAKER_00 9:11

Okay, I don't first of all, I don't care what you do to your bird. But you can have to, you're gonna have to back up. I want there's a lot to unpack here. I want to talk about brining, but I also, now I'm familiar with the term, but I'm not I've never done it. Well, how does one spatchcock a bird?

SPEAKER_01 9:29

You just gotta cut the backbone out of it.

SPEAKER_00 9:31

That seems so violent.

SPEAKER_01 9:33

It is, and it's not easy. I I look, full disclosure, I don't have the right kitchen tools to do that.

SPEAKER_00 9:38

Yeah, what do you do? Like, I feel like you'd need like a circular saw or something.

SPEAKER_01 9:42

Basically, I've tried, I have some some, you know, some kitchen scissors, some food No, they're not strong, nearly strong enough.

SPEAKER_00 9:49

Because you're talking, you're cutting through bone? Yes. I I've never even heard of this, but I please. Well you look up the you got your phone, look up Spatchcock on that. I'll look it up.

SPEAKER_01 9:58

But make sure you're right, turkey, you know what I mean? Just let's get the right thing. So you cut the backbone out, and then it basically fillets it open, and so you get a much more even cook to the thing. But over the last couple of years, now mind you, I have sanitized these shears that I've used as well as you can sanitize one, but I had to get out some tree pruners. You'd yeah, you heard me because that's the only thing, and they they're long and they're big, and that's the only way you can get through that.

SPEAKER_00 10:29

First of all, there's this picture in my mind of Dave in your kitchen with these these shears. Oh, there's pictures. We have pictures. I'll find you some. I I saw a picture of a of a bird that's been spatchcocked. I mean, it's like it's a great way to go. It's flat.

SPEAKER_01 10:43

And you do that so it cooks even? It cooks way more even and faster. Much faster it cooks. And so um I like to get a bird that's not enormous, you know. You can get birds that are, geez, what, 20 pounds or something like that. I like I like 11 to 13. Okay. And cut that backbone out, and then you make a brine. And the brine you can look online and find all sorts of things. Mine has all sorts of herbs and stuff in it. My mouth is watering right now. I can't wait, actually. So then that that bird soaks in the brine all night long. I've already cut the backbone out. So then the next day you pull it out and really get it dry, and then however you want to season it, I like I like the butter and herb method. Okay. Oh my gosh, just slather it. Oh, this is Pavlov's dog.

SPEAKER_00 11:26

Like, I'm so hungry.

SPEAKER_01 11:28

So, and then uh I I just put it in a cooking tin and put it on my smoker. And it only takes three hours, maybe four hours at the most. Smoking the bird. Oh my goodness, it is so awesome. To the point where every year when we eat it, we're like, why aren't we doing this more often? I know it's usually just a uh Thanksgiving, maybe Christmas type of thing, but I always give me six months and I want to do it again. But have you ever tried to find a turkey in June?

SPEAKER_00 11:57

Yeah, I'm gonna say it's it feels like it's a seasonal bird.

SPEAKER_01 12:00

Yeah, it's not easy to find them, and if you do, they're enormous and they're super expensive. Although they're expensive this year, anyways, but I think I might have overpaid this year.

SPEAKER_00 12:07

Yeah, Word on the Street says it you might have got duped. I in fact, in fact, I think there was a local store here. They just opened up a Winco. I think you spend like 100 bucks to give you a free one. Yeah, and you I think I spent 60 bones. And how big's the bird? Well, that was like an 18-pounder, it's a big one. I got a lot of people to feed. Yeah, still, but that's a No, I do the same thing as you though. I am a believer of the brine. Um, I want to give all the credit here to my good friend, although we've never met, Alton Brown. Big fan. Big fan. He's a genius. He's a genius, good eats. I love to watch him, he's so fun. But he introduced Heather and I to the concept of a brine. Fun fact the very first time we did this, and this has been several years ago now, I was not feeling very well, and so the smell of the brine was quite strong, and it just did not, yeah, it just hit me in a bad, bad way. So Heather had to finish it up. I mean, I had to just back away. But we put this brine in a five-gallon bucket, and then we again lower the bird, uh, spatch cocklas. Yeah. Without the spatch cockle. This is new. I might try it this year. You should. Um just don't be freaked out when it it cooks faster. I don't like to touch though, I have a hard time even touching dead meat. I don't, I mean, it's all dead. I understand.

SPEAKER_01 13:21

Oh, you're you're gonna there's no getting around it. You're gonna get in, you have to get in there. That's I don't know. I'm talking elbow deep in some of that stuff. Uh I don't like finding the giblets. I don't either. In fact, I think pulling that neck out. Why do you even need the neck? I they should why they send it, leave it in the turkey processing plants. Yeah, I I don't know. Cousin Eddie wants them to save the neck. Save the neck for me, Clark. I don't know why people I I back in the day, I feel like they might have used it to make the gravy, but you don't need that. It's oh, and by the way, yeah, sorry, I gotta back up again. The drippings from that bird, when you with the smoked one, when you've when you've um you've smoked it and you've had the already had the herbs and the brine and everything, the drippings with a little bit of um milk and and uh flour makes the most unbelievable gravy without even seasoning it. Are you kidding me? I'm not kidding you. But you know, I say this and I love it, I think it's amazing. There are people that prefer, like my daughter prefers old school roasted turkey because that's it's nostalgia for them. Yeah, I hear you. It is a little different, but the flavor you're getting out of that smoked bird is just unbelievable.

SPEAKER_00 14:32

Well, I've had a smoked bird, but Uncle Bill uh he would do a smoked bird every once in a while, and I I do love a smoked turkey, and I've tried yours before, it's delicious, and the gravy is fantastic. We do go a more traditional approach, we do brine it though, and see to me the secret is in the brine because up until our brine, and I am so sorry, I feel like I need to look to the heavens and apologize to all those who've gone before me cooking a bird. Turkey has a tendency to be dry. Unless you brine, unless you brine, and I didn't realize that. I mean, I mean, you know, a dry bird, no big whoop, you just douse it in gravy. Right. Problem solved. Absolutely. Or maybe a little cranberry sauce. I'm a big fan. Berry or jelly, I don't care. I'll take it all. Delicious. And I want it right out of the can. I want it right out of the can. I don't need cranberry sauce. Oh, it's so good. We're gonna talk about what you do with that cranberry sauce the day after, or even the after, the evening after when you put that on a sandwich with the bird. Well, yeah, make that some people like the leftovers after even better than the actual meal itself. Very well could be in that can. I think Susie's in that can. I love a turkey sandwich on a homemade roll with a little bit of mayo and then a little develop seasoning, local seasoning, and then a sliver of um cranberry sauce.

SPEAKER_01 15:39

Oh, I I like to I like to put it hungry. I want to eat this microphone. I like the little bit of turkey with even potatoes and gravy and stuffing right on the roll. That's that's that's that's next level sandwich. Yeah. And then I also just like turkey and a little bit of I don't this might be gross to a lot of people, but I like Miracle Whip on those.

SPEAKER_00 16:02

Hey, don't be ashamed of that. I my wife thinks it's disgusting. No, I'll take Miracle Whip Wormale.

SPEAKER_01 16:07

I don't care. But you have to have it. Yeah, I don't care either. I like the Miracle Whip on that for some reason. Got a little tank. And then a little bit of cheese, and then I I still will throw some gravy and some stuffing on that thing.

SPEAKER_00 16:20

So you're putting the cheese, I mean, Dave is the cheese as Jason is the cranberry. Yes, you know what I mean. Let's just, you know, let's just swap that out. Because then after I but that gotta go back, after I brine the bird, then we, you know, you coat it with butter. It really gives it it is so beautiful. I said this a lot on this podcast, but and I've got notes everywhere. I'm gonna put a picture of a bird that we cooked uh with my sister-in-law Lindsay, uh, Mark and Lindsay up in uh Oregon. That bird was beautiful and it was delicious. Oh my god.

SPEAKER_01 16:52

I'm almost ready to weep right now. I'm so excited. I can't wait. So I'm my mom, my mom's gonna host this year, so we'll go up there on Thursday, and then I'm I'm I'm smoking my bird the next day, just so I can have it. Have it. Yep.

SPEAKER_00 17:04

I like that. I don't um It's not only the food though about Thanksgiving. Um, my my granny, she would make uh a stuffing. Now, first of all, I hope I don't get drummed out of any circle here. I love stovetop. Me too! It's so good. I know, I think people put weird stuff in stuffing. No, I don't like, but my granny's stuffing, I love it, and I'll make it this year. Hers is so simple. I mean, I think it's got some breadcrumbs, some sage, maybe a little butter, uh, onion, salt, pepper, a bit of sugar. And and that's it. Now I've had stuffing before, and no offense to those, I hope people listen. I don't like a busy stuffing. So if you're putting celery, uh, yeah, uh, or any type of nuts.

SPEAKER_01 17:46

No, yeah, keep the nuts and the raisins out. Oh, well, there's another one of rotten grape in there. You know, no kidding. It seems like they're thinking, well, we got leftovers of that, throw it in there. Maybe that's all stuff we've got inside. Maybe it is, but I mean, I hear like our friend Jenny just talked about some stuffing that she makes. I'd like to try it. I would too.

SPEAKER_00 18:01

But I just don't want people to be offended when I say, I'll still take the stovetop. I'll take the stovetop, it's delicious. But you mentioned this earlier, but like But I will try it. Oh, I will too. I'll try it. And I'll probably like it. I just won't like it as well. We'll see. Um, but my mom, like, she made a fantastic pumpkin pie, fantastic blueberry pie. She made these pecan tarts that were so good. But her blueberry pie, she was famous for it. And she's so sweet because people would say, Betty, can we get the uh recipe for that? And my mom, of course, she'd share every recipe. But this is this is how she'd respond. And she was not trying to be cheeky, she'd be like, Oh, I just follow the recipe on the can. It's so simple. I just open it up, I doctor it up a bit, and people would be like, but there's the doctor's secret. Yes, exactly. She's like, Oh, I didn't even think about that. And you know, put a little sugar, a little nutmeg. Anyways, it was just fantastic. My Uncle Eldon, he he just loved that blueberry pie. One year he actually took the blueberry pie and he he hid it. He hid a whole pie. And he didn't even come clean until like everybody had dished up. And then all of a sudden he pulled up his pie.

SPEAKER_01 19:04

Anybody know where the pie is?

SPEAKER_00 19:05

And all of a sudden he sit there and he's just got a fork at a pie. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_01 19:10

I'm not a I am more of a fan of like banana cream pie. I'm not a fruit pie guy. Oh, okay. I can eat, I can eat I couldn't when I was younger, but I now I can eat um apple pie. If it's got if it's got uh vanilla ice cream with it.

SPEAKER_00 19:26

And if the apples, they've gotta be soft for me. I don't want to sound like I'm like I'm 90 years old eating it with my gums. Well, you you do enjoy applesauce. I do like a good applesauce.

SPEAKER_01 19:35

So that makes a lot of sense. But yeah, the fruit pies I'm usually out. And like a pecan pie, it doesn't make any sense to me. Why would you why were we putting nuts on pies?

SPEAKER_00 19:44

It's so delicious. I might have to try it. Yeah, I'm gonna make you some of these pecan tarts. I think they might change your life. I don't know. I think my sister's good. Well, my sister's gonna try my sister's gonna try and make them this year. Okay, well, if they're delicious, you bring one down. We'll see at least. Oh, I'll be so mad. You will?

SPEAKER_01 20:01

Dang it. I love a banana cream pie. I like um chocolate cream pies.

SPEAKER_00 20:06

Those are good. But let me tell you what I could do without all the time. I and I don't we don't see these a lot over the Thanksgiving season. Cherry pie? Ugh. Ugh. And I don't even like a coconut cream pie.

SPEAKER_01 20:17

No, I'm not coconut guy. You know what I also don't care for is yams.

SPEAKER_00 20:21

Oh, get out of town!

SPEAKER_01 20:23

No, I mean that's baby food. It's so delicious.

SPEAKER_00 20:26

They come in a Gerber bottle. Listen, I don't, and I don't even care. I'm not even a yam purist. Like if sweet potatoes, if you want to put some marshmallows on top of that, delicious. Or if you want to make the more, you know, I don't think traditional is a word, but more of a casserole where you got the sweet potato and then you got like a maybe a pecan crust on the top. More of like a Ruth's crisp type of thing. Okay. They're so good.

SPEAKER_01 20:50

Full disclosure, I look at it and think gross. So I don't even eat it. I've never tried it. I I will I know. Try it. I will. I know, I know. My sister's gonna make a little thing of it this year, mainly for the in-laws, because none of us want it. But the in-laws all like it, so she's gonna make so I'll try it. I'll try it. You'll keep asking, you'll keep asking, I'll try. You are gonna love it. Well, I'll tell you what I will not eat. What? Is the green bean casserole. I don't know who started that in my family, but it's become one of those tradition things, and every time I see it, I'm like, there is not room on my plate for something like that. That's that is well, we've you episodes way in the past. Green beans, I can't get them down. They're gross. I can't eat them.

SPEAKER_00 21:34

You put that, you put a green bean in a casserole. I'm listening I think they like crumble up some nice French as onion stuff on the top.

SPEAKER_01 21:41

There's some like cream of mushroom soup in there or something. I'm sorry, Jason. If it's got green beans, I'm out.

SPEAKER_00 21:47

Now, listen, what I will say, I'll I mean I'm gonna give you a little bit of leeway here because if I'm filling up my platter, my and it is a platter when it comes to Thanksgiving. I'm gonna if there's if there's a tiny bit of space, maybe I'll put the green beans. In there, but I'm not gonna be heartbroken if I miss it. No, it's in my way, frankly.

SPEAKER_01 22:04

In fact, salad's in my way. Somebody said something about who's gonna bring a salad. Nobody's bringing a salad, we don't need it. Well, I don't mind a nice green salad, a little crisp refresher, you know, to kind of start the meal. Not that meal. Nah, you know, I know, I take it back. Uh with an Italian and like spaghetti and stuff like that. Yeah, let's have a salad to start. That's great. But not on that one. I don't need it for that one. Um we sorry, did I interrupt you? No, I was just gonna say one of the funny things for me growing up, every year, it seems like my dad would finish his meal and he'd take that deep breath that we all take now. You know, just kind of sit there and go, and then his words were always this well, I did it again. Meaning he had just eaten himself to the point he's so sick.

SPEAKER_00 22:48

And there's not much of a better feeling than that. I know. Uh I mean, my father-in-law, I used to he used to say this all the time, and it makes me smile every time. We'd be eating, and it didn't matter what meal, but for sure Thanksgiving, and he'd say, Hey, no sense, stop until you're sick.

SPEAKER_01 23:03

Well, have you have you ever eaten yourself to the point of budge? And let me explain this.

SPEAKER_00 23:09

Listen, I mean, I I feel like that's a resounding yes, but I don't know what you're talking about. Well, I've never been able to pull it off.

SPEAKER_01 23:14

Okay. My my good buddy Scott Budge, one one Thanksgiving. Eight and eight, and eight. I mean, he's at this point, you're sh you're packing it in. I mean, the food is already up your neck. Yeah, it's up. There's nowhere else for it to go, and he just keeps packing it in because he loved it so much. He throws up. Oh. Went back for pie. You know what? That is I I when I heard it, I'm like, that is the most awesome thing to eat yourself to the point where you puke. Yeah. And then think, feel great, you're gonna go back for some pie. Steakhouse, room for some pie. That's eating to the point of budge, and I've never been able to do it.

SPEAKER_00 23:55

Um, I have I come close one time, but it wasn't a Thanksgiving that we were having uh uh dinner over at Maddox and I local steakhouse here, and I started with the appetizer, and then I had the full-blown steak, and then I of course had the fresh peach pie. And it's a 30-minute drive, you know, from the house. And I like uh my father-in-law was driving on this trip, and I actually had to put my hand on the ceiling because it just it just felt like I needed the extra support. Something I was so sick. I mean, sweat. So, oh, the meat sweats, yeah, got them. Yeah, so the phrase is I ate myself to the point of budge. How about the brink of budge? The brink of budge.

SPEAKER_01 24:31

You've heard the brink of budge, but you have not been to the point of budge.

SPEAKER_00 24:35

Hashtag, yeah, trademark that. I've been to the brink of budge, but never the point of budge.

SPEAKER_01 24:39

Yeah, I I hope one day to get to the point of budge. But that's that is pushing through pain. And you have to love what you're eating. Soldier through. So you just point through the point of pain and you just get to the point of budge, but and then you eat pie. But you have to eat pie after.

SPEAKER_00 24:56

You have to. I mean, it just feels like the right thing to do. Yeah, it does. Thanksgiving, though, is a again, we're thankful and we're and it's you know, we're almost at the end of the harvest season. Um, but it is unique in it, like nobody has a meal that's like 12 courses. But that's what Thanksgiving is. I mean, there's everybody has like if you put something of everything on the plate, there's not a plate big enough. Right. Um I'm all over the board here, but like Thanksgiving Day, did you do any activities like Thanksgiving weekend? Like, you know, I got we got a buddy, he Nick, he does like a turkey bowl. I don't think he's done it for a long time, but buddies will play football.

SPEAKER_01 25:29

Old Nick Zollinger, he talks about the turkey bowl, but they would go and get permission from the high school to go and get pads, like full pads, grown men putting on football pads and a helmet. This is trouble. This is trouble because that's a hammy ready to happen, a knee ready to happen. We are not, our bodies are not okay with bashing into each other. No, you can't you can't recover from that. No.

SPEAKER_00 25:52

So yeah, I don't do that.

SPEAKER_01 25:53

But do you I mean, do you do we we will usually hit a movie on th on th on Thanksgiving evening? Oh, that's fine. And then come back after the movie and have leftovers.

SPEAKER_00 26:02

We used to uh I want to talk about this. I really want to do a Christmas episode, and I realize that time is running. But um, all growing up, well, most of the time growing up, we would always go and cut our Christmas tree, typically either Friday or Saturday. And I that was part of the Thanksgiving weekend, part of the tradition, because then we'd put it up that weekend as well.

SPEAKER_01 26:22

So are you actually before we get into the the next couple days after Thanksgiving, are you a dark meat guy or light meat guy?

SPEAKER_00 26:28

Oh, I I mean you're gonna hang me for this, but I only like the light meat. I prefer light meat.

SPEAKER_01 26:32

Um, I prefer dark meat, but because of the brine that we've talked about, I'm okay now with the light white meat because it's it's it's not dry. I'm not gonna turn my nose up at the dark meat. I'm almost like it's my favorite.

SPEAKER_00 26:46

But I I just prefer it. But you gotta get in there when you uh that's another thing.

SPEAKER_01 26:49

You carve carving a bird.

SPEAKER_00 26:51

Yeah, okay. So you talk about family traditions and how like did I interrupt anyone jump in on it? Okay, but I remember uh Heather and I had only been married maybe one or two years, and I I think we hosted at our house and it was fun, and and we had both my parents and her parents over, and um I of course carved the bird. When you say carved, well are you in quotes? Are we saying carved the bird? Quotes carved, but I I carved it the way I had been taught, okay. Which there was a fork and a knife involved, but I kind of went all crazy with it. Meaning, like I would um I'm I'm carving and then more just kind of almost ripping it apart. Does that make sense? So yeah so the platter afterwards was not a nice sliced rr piece of of uh you know turkey, it was like hunks of turkey. Because I would watch my dad all growing up, Dave. He would carve the bird, and it's almost tearing it apart with his hands. I it people are probably thinking that's gross, but I thought it was great, and it was just it made it, it was almost like he was treating it like it was a roast that was just falling apart. It was so tender. So so I remember doing that, and I had an electric knife, and Phil, my father-in-law, just started to chuck a little bit. He's like, he's like, wow, he's like, you're really working that blade in ways I've never seen. I mean, you do that in the movie. Jason carved the bird like Zorro. Um, I've since, just so you know, I have since watched again Elton Brown, watched a tutorial on that, and I do know how to carve a bird. I'm if I do so so myself, beautifully.

SPEAKER_01 28:18

Well, I think that the key is is you you the breast should come out in one full full piece, yeah. Each of them. So, and but a lot of times people will try to slice them right off the bottom. Oh, the bird, you can't do that. No, but if you can get those two spots, then look, as gross as it is to watch another person carve or manhandle the bird that you're gonna be eating.

SPEAKER_00 28:39

Okay, you spatz cocktailers.

SPEAKER_01 28:41

I know I did. But the last time I'm like, you gotta get in there. Yeah, because you can't, you know, you're talking about the drumsticks and you can't get I have plastic gloves. I buy a book. I buy a smoked and I use plastic gloves, and you can get right in there and get them, get them, get all that good stuff out of there. Oh my gosh, I'm so hungry right now.

SPEAKER_00 29:00

I can't wait. This is this is like I am so hungry right now. Um but it's it is fun. I maybe we'll even talk about a lot of this with our maybe a Christmas episode with the trees. We'll come back to that.

SPEAKER_01 29:10

I I also have a bucket list thing that I would like to put a pie in somebody's face. No, I really want to just and and I don't want them to know. Because I feel like I I that's the thing is I feel like if if somebody says, well, you know, uh you can put a pie in my face. Yeah, I I want to be like a surprise. And I just want to pop them. I mean, I just get right in the face.

SPEAKER_00 29:31

Does it need to be like a real pie or can it just be whipped cream in the phone? I've thought a lot about that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 29:34

I really have. I've thought a lot about that. Um ideally a real pie, but it also seems like a big shame.

SPEAKER_00 29:40

It does seem like a big shame. If it was a cherry pie, I'd be fine with it. Yeah, because that's gross. Although if you do it to me, and you know what, I don't care if you do, make sure I'm not wearing something that will stain though. Okay. Um, but if you do it, don't do a cherry pie. Do a blueberry pie, because then I'll like in like Scooby-Doo. I'll stick it all the way off your face.

SPEAKER_01 29:56

I I think it I think I'd prefer just a pie tin with whipped cream. I mean, that's probably the it makes the most sense. Yeah, it it it's the most fiscally responsible. Yeah. And and and and the blast that that thing's gonna create. I mean, we're gonna see, we're gonna see whipped cream go flying behind that person. But you need to hit it square on. Right. I really square on. I again, ideally the pie tin is is on the table, and I'm actually bringing the face and the pie thing boom together, just like that. Kind of like when Nacho Libre baptizes El Scaleto, you know, just a little bit. Boom! That's reference. Yeah, it's that's how I want to put a pie in somebody's face, and I've really never had the opportunity. I'd like I'd like to see it present itself at some point. I think you could do it to any one of your children. I would like to think so. I would like to think so. I mean, there might be fights afterwards, and then that's another thing is all you're doing is starting a fight. Sure, for sure. I mean, it's like a water fight. If you're gonna spray somebody, get ready, be prepared to be sprayed.

SPEAKER_00 30:55

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 30:55

Which is why I prefer not to, because the last thing I need is a wet uh is a is a cold glass of water on me dumped over the shower, something like that. Nobody wants that. Um but yeah, lots of fun stuff at Thanksgiving. I I really enjoy it too. And I I and I'm also the kind of guy, let's uh as we're getting close to time here, I I love Christmas lights, I love the tr I love all of it. Sure. But respect the bird.

SPEAKER_00 31:21

Well, okay.

SPEAKER_01 31:22

I I'm not a big decorating before Thanksgiving type of a guy because I respect the bird. And other people say it's part of the way we celebrate. Okay. Look, I'm not I am not that big of a prude on that, like I am Halloween.

SPEAKER_00 31:34

Yeah, that's for sure.

SPEAKER_01 31:35

That's a that's a non-negotiable free game. Yeah, I have a real problem with Halloween. But if you want to start decorating for Christmas before Thanksgiving, that's up to you. Sure. I'm not gonna do it because I'm gonna respect that. Respect the bird. And then, but that weekend after, it's it's free game. Personally, I like to wait till December 1.

SPEAKER_00 31:50

Do you? Yeah, personally. Okay, I'm not gonna fight you on that. I like that. I we've got a few decorations up right now. Uh, and it's you know, obviously it's Thanksgiving week. Festive. Yeah, I do like it. But uh again, just this is a great week. So take take a moment, say thank you to I don't know. Anyone. Yeah. Anybody you see. Jason, thank you for being a good friend. Oh, Dave, the pleasure's mine, and thank you, my friend, for being what perhaps could be the best podcast host in the history of the world. Okay, now you're being ridiculous.

SPEAKER_01 32:22

Thanks again, folks, for listening to another episode of the Small Towns Podcast. We're pretty sure we've changed your life for the better. If not, well, we'll try again next time.