‘Tis the season for gaining weight. It starts before Thanksgiving and lasts until after the ball drops in New York on New Years Day. There are parties and dinners, and get-togethers with spreads of appetizers and desserts, chocolates, cheeses, breads, chips, wines, and other spirits, cakes, pies, potatoes, egg nog, and much more.
The list goes on, and depending on the culture of the gathering, it could be much more extensive than what I have just described.
Many years ago, when I lived in New Orleans, we had a good friend who was Italian. He would invite us to his family’s house for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners each year. The first Thanksgiving we spent with them was a true eye-opener. There was SO MUCH FOOD!!! We had pastas, and meats, salads, cheeses, hors d’oeuvre’s — enough to fill several stomachs. Then, they cleared the table and brought on the main dinner, which was much more food than the first course.