Two years ago Tawn and I hosted a lavish Thanksgiving dinner for 14 guests. I cooked the whole menu (except the bird, which I had done at the market and delivered) and we sat at a neatly decorated table on the patio next to the pool. It was quite impressive, if I do say so myself. It was also overwhelming so last year Thanksgiving was hosted at someone else’s house. This year we are doing it again… although a wrench was just thrown into our plans.
To save some myself some of the hassle, this year we billed it as a Thanksgiving Poolside Potluck Picnic. Instead of cooking everything, I’ll just do the bird, stuffing, and gravy and let others fuss over the side dishes and desserts. We’re also dispensing with the fussily decorated table and are instead just using the tables and chairs already available on the pool deck.
Well, that is what we were going to do. Until Tuesday, when the condo management posted a notice in the elevators announcing that a two-month rehabilitation of the swimming pool would commence the next morning.
Now, the rehabilitation is much needed. There are many broken tiles (I cut my foot badly a few weeks ago and considered posting the pictures but they are just too bloody) and this work should have been done a few years ago. But must it begin this week? And with only one day notice?
So the question was, how would this affect Thanksgiving? We’re expecting about two dozen guests and there is no way I can put them in the house and serve food. Poolside is out, of course. Thankfully, three weeks ago a small cafe with outdoor and indoor seating opened on the ground floor of our condo. It is a pretty space and hasn’t started to get a lot of traffic yet. Tawn and I went to talk with the owner yesterday and she agreed to rent it to us for the afternoon (we’re holding the dinner on Saturday since everyone is working here on Thursday).
We’ll see how this new space works but I’m glad we didn’t have to cancel. The cafe has an oven and refrigerator, so we’ll actually have better facilities at hand than if we were by the pool and had to keep running up two stories to the condo. Whew – Thanksgiving is saved!
christao408 
Yeah for being flexible!!! You may actually be happier in the restaurant than you would have been around the pool…no other people trying to encroach on your party…and no worries about a sudden cloud burst!!! We are spending Thanksgiving alone this year…none of the girls are able to be here ( but they will ALL be here for Christmas so that more than makes up for it!!). We have been invited to spend the day at one of my co-workers family gathering but Pat is not comfortable with that since he would not know anyone but the one gal I work with. ( I would know about half of the 25 or 30 people). Thanksgiving is not nearly as important as Christmas to me…so I am content..but I WILL miss the chance to enjoy Pat’s delicious turkey, dressing and gravy!!! Thanksfully Christmas is not too far away…lol. I hope your Thanksgiving turns out to be perfection…and I can’t wait to see all of the pictures!! Ruth Ann
That pool project definitely threw a wrench to your plans. Glad you are flexible and resourceful. Actually having it in the cafe may end up better, with better facilities and all. It will give you a first hand experience in cooking in a restaurant, in case you consider opening one someday. 🙂
You’re brave to be hosting Thanksgiving for that many… glad you found a way to keep it going!
Got to be flexible. I hate that when we get a day’s notice that the pool or community center will be closed. We have facilities to cook indoors at the center and several grills outside under cover. Good Luck!
Chris, you might be surprised. This could actually turn out to be the best Tday ever. Indeed, I am sure it will. 🙂
Well, looks like Plan B will be quite promising, at least there is a full working kitchen at ground level. The bird will turn out fabulous nonetheless. I hope to visit you guys sometime next year, my regular stops to the kingdom is long overdue!
Ugh, I’m glad that you were able to find another space!
Glad you didn’t have to cancel. Have fun at the new place!
i’m glad things worked out for you! having an oven and refrigerator at hand will be very nice and will probably make your life a lot easier than having to run things back and forth between your condo and the pool.
I am so happy that the lady agreed to rent the place. I hope the rental fee won’t be too bad. Sorry you cut yourself on the tiles Chris. May be that’s why the management got their ass into gear. Who knows, it would have taken much longer to take care of the pool.Happy Thanksgiving dear friend.
I am glad you did not have to cancel the party.Happy Thanksgiving!
the 2 option sounds even better I guess…Happy ThanksGiving!
Oh my heart was sinking~ so thankful you found a nice alternative! I am choosing to prepare the traditional Thanksgiving meal this year, being this is my daughter and son-in-law’s first Thanksgiving here since moving to Oklahoma. Normally, I do something off the wall. I am relieved my son-in-law will be doing the turkey~ or I might be tempted to cook it over an open fire. hahaha~Enjoy your dinner party!
So happy to hear your plans weren’t totally ruined. It sounds like the cafe might be a better space for the crowd anyway. Looking forward to hearing how it goes.
That sounds like a pretty good contingency plan. I hope the rent wasn’t too bad. I just know you folks will do a great job with your Thanksgiving dinner. Btw, I don’t see the workers wearing safety goggles and safety boots. (yes, the farang in me still lives).
@ElusiveWords – Actually, some of them are wearing the boots. At least they are wearing good sun protection. Don’t want to get dark skin! Ha ha…@alextebow – @agmhkg – @icepearlz – @kunhuo42 – @yang1815 – @TheCheshireGrins – @marc11864 – Yes, I’m starting to think that this alternative may actually work out better than the original plan. This way we have a combination of indoor and outdoor space, a good sound system, some limited kitchen facilities right at hand, and some staff working to clean up afterwards!@WildWomanOfTheWest – @Fatcat723 – Grilled turkey sounds really good to me! Remove the backbone, butterfly it, and it should be really nice on the grill.@ZSA_MD – The rental fee was kind of a funny thing. When Tawn and I discussed amongst ourselves I had a feeling it would be a relatively low fee (about $100) and he thought it would be much higher. My rationale was that it is a new cafe and isn’t doing a lot of business yet, so she’s going to be happy to get whatever she can. In the end, she came back with a price that was a bit higher than my hope but well below Tawn’s expectation.@Passionflwr86 – There’s something exciting about the challenge. Back in SF I once did a holiday dinner for about two dozen in our apartment. Legs of lamb, if I recall. Lots of fun.@CurryPuffy – It has been a while since you’ve been here…@stevew918 – I’m not sure if it will give me a lot of first hand restaurant experience, but will sure be nice to be using someone else’s space rather than my own.@Redlegsix – Oh, such a shame the girls cannot make it for Thanksgiving. I’m in complete agreement with you, though, that Christmas is a lot more important of a family holiday for me than Thanksgiving. Just my opinion.