Thanksgiving buffet

Jett and I have twice done Thanksgiving via Cracker Barrel. They offer a take-out Thanksgiving dinner for about 6 for just over $70 – a pretty good deal. You get a hefty portion of turkey, a lesser portion of ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy, vegetable and dinner rolls. A hearty feast.

This year we wanted to do something different. We debated going to Perkins or the local restaurant, Sunshine Cafe. But we opted to stay in the RV park and participate in the Thanksgiving buffet. The park provided turkey, ham, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy and coffee/tea. The residents brought hot dishes, salads and desserts.

Jett and I aren’t huge fans of buffets and we weren’t very optimistic that it would be any better than the church social buffets that dotted my childhood and adolescence. But I was pleasantly surprised. The turkey was just about the best I have ever had (sorry, Mom!) and the ham, while dry, was tasty. Even the resident-supplied dishes were quite good. So, for the cost of some salad fixin’s we had a Thanksgiving dinner that was better than Cracker Barrel’s.

The other benefit of a local buffet is the opportunity to introduce ourselves to the community. We sat at a table of 8, so we met 3 other couples. All were friendly and the conversation was interesting. Time will tell whether we made any lifelong friends, but it is not out of the question.