As we were beginning dinner service last night the power went out. Despite living in an area of frequent power outages, this was the first time it had happened to me at work. The restaurant was instantly silent. We had about 8 customers in at the time and were expecting a full house by the end of the evening. The silence was awkward, no music, no talking, no fans and fire from the kitchen. The restaurant had gone from a bustle to complete stillness in the blink of an eye.
We spent a few moments assessing the situation, determined that power was out for a large portion of the island (freaky) and decided to continue on in the spirit of thanks. We had a turkey hot (and done) out of the oven and could use the gas on the stoves only intermittently as the hood fans were down. Instead of choosing between a traditional turkey dinner, venison or handmade raviolis, we offered each and every person a plate of turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy and salad – no stuffing, no veg, no pretty extras.
Everybody was thrilled and as we filled the restaurant with candles and poured wine the atmosphere became a little bit magical. There was happiness and thankfulness. Everything that was important was right there in that little room. Family, friends, food. Simple and perfect. It gave me a thanks when i couldn't be with my own family.
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you must live near my mother-in-law, she told me a very similar story about her thanksgiving when i called her yesterday. How great is it that your evening turned out better than expected especially when it could have been a disaster.
Wow – It wasn’t until you talked about Thanksgiving in October that I realized you were in Canada – how did I not know this? Haha sometimes I have trouble paying attention, methinks… Happy Holidays!