Holidays inevitably bring up old family stuffing. It’s odd, but for what ever reason the holiday feasts of my early days seem almost magical in comparison to the recent fare of the last decade or so. Why is it that we idealize childhood holidays?: the yams are never as sweet as when I was a kid, the gravy just tasted better, the turkey was never dry.
Well, now I have been in charge of the holiday feast for a number of years now, and my quest has ever been to seek the perfect recipes. Perfecting the yams, the stuffing, the turkey and gravy. I guess I’ll never get pass the “magical” feeling of those childhood Thanksgivings, but I can do my best to make my son’s holidays as magical as possible.
—David F.
The Art Brothers 
I often think this about foods in general. Sweets used to be sweeter when we were kids. Sours used to be sourer. Bitters used to be bitterer. What I remember yogurt tasting like as a kid, for example, is nothing like it tastes today. Or remember how sour Sweet Tarts used to seem? They’re actually not that sour.
I’m told there’s a scientific explanation for this phenomenon. We simply lose taste buds as we grow older, thus dimming the taste experience. I think the theory is there’s an evolutionary reason for this. Whatever the case, think about the foods that you hated the taste of as a kid but later on discovered you actually kind of liked them. A good example for me is tomato juice; it was disgusting to my kid self, but I kind of like it now (especially when it’s in a Bloody Mary).
As for Thanksgiving in particular, I’ll tell you one thing we didn’t have back then that is much better now: Michael’s World Famous Pumpkin Pie! Mmmm-mmmmm. That’s good eating (that we missed out on when we were kids)!
To be honest, I miss Grandma F’s amazing pies and desserts. The cherry pie with the lattice, mmmm. Even her figgy mince meat pie. And I REALLY miss Great Grandma B’s box of homemade assorted holiday candies. It has always been a sort of fantasy of mine to find those candy recipes and to resurrect that family tradition.
Oh yeah, the candy box. I loved that box. Rum balls. Little pink and green frosted cookies of goodness. Mmmm. Grandma’s actually where I first got my pie bug.
Course, it pains me to admit, my famous pumpkin pie pretty much surpasses anything she made. Don’t think I’m bragging here. It’s pretty much a fact. I’ve actually converted lifelong pumpkin-pie haters with this pie. It’s just that good!
You’ve met people who hate pumpkin pie?? Freaks! Seriously though, you are making me think I should have done my famous marble pumpkin cheese cake…but Thanksgiving desserts are not my job. T’s mom likes to do that stuff, so I just stick the meal itself. I usually make that treat for Christmas, where someone else makes the dinner.