Whenever I read one of those Thanksgiving stories about how wonderful it is to cook a fabulous meal for a huge crowd of friends and family, the first thing I think is, "How heartwarming! How generous!"
And then I wonder, "Don't those people have jobs?"
Because the reality for most of us is that the Thanksgiving feast is no longer a one-cook show. Given our hectic schedules, it has to be a collaborative effort, one in which everybody pitches in and makes a contribution.
It's a meal where everyone comes together to cook together. And actually, I think it's a lot better that way, or at least it can be. Thanksgiving is one of our most communal holidays, probably for the simple reason that it's one of the few that is defined by sharing food.
The key to any community is shared responsibility, and the dinner table is no exception. Of course, even in the most democratic of groups, there has to be one person who can keep everything organized, and in the case of Thanksgiving dinner, that is you, the host. Indeed, compared with this job, other traditional host tasks, such as making sure the house is spotless and roasting the turkey perfectly, are a breeze.
A holiday host is a combination greeter, psychologist, cook and traffic cop, with a little bit of efficiency expert thrown in. Remember: It is not possible to be too organized when you're expecting a house full of cooks. Don't be afraid to be a nerd; make as many lists and charts as it takes.
Assign dishes well in advance (in fact, you probably ought to do that by tonight, or Saturday morning at the latest). Ask the cooks not only what course they want to bring but what dish -- the more specific the description, the better.
Not only does this help avoid repetitions (parsnips in soup, parsnips as a side dish), it also subtly obliges the cooks to honor their promises. If you've been assigned something as general as "an appetizer," it's quite easy to justify sliding the definition over just a bit if at the last minute you decide you really want to make a salad. And that's how you wind up with a dinner table loaded with variations on a single dish. That kind of switcheroo is a lot harder to alibi when you've promised to make, say, gougeres.
And remember that, as a host, you've got a full menu to fill out. When it comes to Thanksgiving dinner, cooks tend to think like Kobe Bryant with the clock winding down. Everybody wants to make the show-stopping centerpiece dish.
