In every household, there is an unspoken rule that the person who prepares the meal often holds the final say over its timing. This principle was on full display in a recent, light-hearted domestic debate over the proper hour for a Thanksgiving feast.
The discussion centered on whether the traditional holiday dinner should be served in the late afternoon or held until a more conventional evening hour. One party advocated for an earlier seating, around 3 or 4 p.m., presenting a practical case. The argument was that an afternoon meal allows everyone to enjoy the main event and then simply help themselves to leftovers later in the evening, eliminating the need for further cooking.
However, the individual tasked with preparing the meal firmly held a different view. For them, dinnertime means precisely that: 6 p.m. The suggestion to eat earlier was politely but firmly dismissed. The reasoning was rooted in past experience, where an earlier feast paradoxically led to preparing a second meal later in the night, as no one seemed interested in the planned leftovers.
When the debate expanded to include a wider audience, opinions were split. While many indicated they traditionally dine in the mid-afternoon on the holiday, the cook remained unconvinced, humorously labeling the early eaters as outliers. The ultimate compromise, as declared by the chef, was straightforward: anyone feeling peaking hunger before the appointed hour was welcome to arrange their own lunch, but the family dinner would commence at six o’clock sharp.
The exchange underscores a universal truth of holiday gatherings: logistics and tradition often collide in the kitchen, and the one wielding the spatula typically wins the argument.
