Thanksgiving Special: Family Traditions, Food Favorites & So Much More

BackFit Cares Golf Classic Recap 0:00

Alright, so we had a really great fourth annual BackFit Cares Golf Classic a couple weeks ago. Just wanted to take a minute here and thank all the people that participated, that came out to golf over at Whirlwind. Whirwind did a great job helping us put our event on. And all of the sponsors, we have so many sponsors. This year we sold out weeks before the event, we had 144 golfers, over 30 sponsors, and we raised just over $185,000 in one day, which was amazing. We had our beneficiaries out there as well, Sunshine Acres and St.

Joe the Worker, so it was cool to have them out. I just wanted to take a second to Thank everybody that participated. I hope you had a great time. There was some really fun engagement on the different holes. The golfers had good time from launching golf balls to the drone and all the things that were there. We hope everybody had great times. If you didn't make it out this year, hopefully next year you'll get the alert. Keep your eyes out for it and we'd love to have you out there again next This episode is going to be our Thanksgiving episode.

And we wanted to have this just to talk about what we're thankful for. We don't necessarily want to tell you what to eat or not eat because you should enjoy. it's way easier to be like right like really you're gonna have another piece of pie um and i don't eat turkeys so that's a whole nother thing so um i i dont like poultry because i feel like poetry including pig products are probably probably the most filthy animal there is even if it is organic so i won't even touch it it has But the rest of us need it, so let's move on.

So why don't you start with saying what you're thankful for this year? Well, I think that before that, since we didn't really plan on talking about this, but I easy to recall. In our family, Thanksgiving was always hosted by our parents. That was like the holiday that I know our mom really wanted to always have everybody at her house and all that stuff. So it was never a, hey, where are we going for Thanksgiving? Yeah, we always knew it was there. It kind of is now, but it works out. Because everybody's busy.

We get it. And we're busy too. But growing up, it always was a given. we knew exactly where we were going. Obviously, when we lived there, I obviously missed that. The whole family knew, It was always going to be at our house. Oh yeah. Nobody even tried to say, Hey, want to do Thanksgiving this year? It's like, you don't bring that up. No, but it was a great tradition. And I think that's why when we host respectfully on different years, I know I always think about that from preparing a turkey and all the fun stuff that

Thanksgiving Traditions and Family Gratitude 3:01

I remember doing with mom and dad. and stuff like that. So I'm thankful for the tradition that was kind of embedded in us growing up as far as it's not about the food. It's that about that dessert. Not about any of that stuff is all about. And our Thanksgiving, mind you, wasn't like traditional. it was a lot of it is a. A lot. Of Persian food, it.s A. Lot of diversity, which, you know, is fantastic. But a saffron. Yeah, a little saaffron, but it it s not even about all that, just about everybody getting together.

Well, also you forgot one main thing. My birthday. Nobody cares about that. I'm joking. But yeah, sometimes your birthday falls on Thanksgiving. And this year it does. Is that your second or third birthday that falls onto Thanksgiving? He's got four birthdays. Yeah, I have one. So, but anyway, that's what I am thankful for is the tradition that was kind of embedded in us. Whatever. We don't care. But of all the traditions and things that we do, Thanksgiving always brings me back to all of the things they did and they hosted and all that tradition they maintained growing up and up until the last seven, eight years.

So I'm thankful for that because I look forward to this holiday probably more than any of other ones. Yeah, because it's my birthday. Well, yeah, primarily because it's your birthday, and we don't have to buy presents for anybody. But no, that's what I'm really thankful for, just getting together with everybody. It's awesome. Yeah. It is my favorite. I'd say it's my favor holiday, not because it is around my birthday. But really, it really is because I feel like Christmas is so stressful. You're trying to figure out what are you going to get the kids?

You got to put the damn tree up. There's just a lot to prepare for. And this year I'm hosting Thanksgiving, which I don't mind. What do you mean you don' mind? I shouldn't say I don't mind it. Would you rather just attend and bring ice and dessert like you said before? No, because... I feel, like you said, mom and dad always hosted it. So I think it should always be me hosting it because you always do Christmas Eve. Okay, you heard it here. We're only going to have it at your house. But who cares?

It's potluck. It sounds like it's a lot of work. Some of the things are more difficult to prepare. This year, it is really exciting because we have a tandoori turkey and then we also have saffron turkey. Oh, that's good. So it's going to be really. Who's really a saffron turkey? Tom. Oh really? Yeah. Wow. Yeah, interesting. Well, I'm, it was going be like me doing it, but he's doing. It's cool. Um, so it'll be, uh, yeah, It'll, be it will be a really good, and we, feel like the family's getting smaller and smaller, which is a little bit.

That's sad. Sad. Now we're only down to 30 people. Really? Whereas it used to like 50. But you know, people move, they get married and whatever, so it just happens. So that just means you have to kind of be grateful for every Thanksgiving, because every thanksgiving can be a little different, right? Yeah, and I think about like when our kids are older, I don't think my kids will want to live here when they're older. Like in your house? No, like in Arizona. They're going to move out of your home.

We spent 18 years in her house. I know yours are going live in you house forever. But mine are definitely not going to live in my house. But I don't think they're going be local here. So it'll be interesting to see what happens. That's always challenged. We've never had to split Thanksgiving. You know, a lot of people have to do that and they do it. They figure that out. nobody in our family has ever had to really split to go here and then go hear, right? Cause you know, our folks are always like, just come to our house, bring everybody together.

And, and, you knows, even, when we have friends, not family, but friends that don't have family around, like you had mentioned this morning, um, Just bring them over. You know? Like just the, that's what it's about. That's again, another part of Thanksgiving I think is, is great. It's just, uh, Just getting people together and whether they know each other, they don't. But it's a day where you can break bread and get to know people and have fun and watch football and just not be stressed out. So what's your favorite thing?

What's you favorite food? Like for our Thanksgiving? Because it is not going to be like the traditional Thanksgiving. Let's do both. Do traditional and then do ours. I mean, I like Turkey. I really like turkey, you know, and I usually smoke a turkey. This year I'm not. He's opted out. Thank God I did that. Done that for so many years. So I liked Turkey, um, And I think for like the Persian side of things, like I the cranberry rice or the zeresh rice, or whatever rice people make. You have such an accent.

Have you seen that girl on TikTok or Instagram that's Persian that does the country accent while she's speaking Farsi? So funny. She lives in like Texas or something. Yeah, we should have her on. She's hilarious. But yeah, I like that. And then whatever, you know, other Persian dish that tends to get eaten first, the stuffing is sitting there while the Tadiq is gone. Yeah. Something like- And the tadi, Justin, is this part of the rice. Like when we, when make rice, we boil it to like al dente and then we steam it.

We put it back in the pot with oil on the bottom. butter, usually butter or oil, and then we steam it and the bottom fries. So you get this thick layer of like fried crispy rice. And you flip it, you flipped the whole thing over. encased cake, rice cake thing. And then you cut it and that, that top part is the tadeeg, which is that everybody fights over it. Yeah. Everyone fights for it too. Like even those little things, people like fighting over that at the, in the kitchen and all that stuff. Those are all just, it's memories and tradition and things that you've experienced and you hope your kids have experienced.

It's just different. We don't know what our traditional Thanksgiving is like. what's traditional to us is what we're accustomed to, which I think a lot of people obviously who have, um, you know, different, uh, cultures and stuff, just do their own style. Doesn't matter what you do. It's just, so I'm thankful for, for that. I I am thankful all the things that were, like I said, that we grew up with, with that, ya know? That's the best part. Yeah. And I, I that it's, Like you said, it's just about getting together really and not really worrying about like preparing for gifts and all the material things.

One thing I don't like though is I hate the hecticness in the grocery stores. Yeah. It drives. It's like that's inevitable. You know, you're always going to forget something like I got to run to sprouts or fries or whatever. Yeah. But it's, like, it like ever since, once Halloween hits, oh, the grocery stores, they're so busy. I'm like what are people doing? How are you possibly buying stuff already? Halloween finished. He woke up Saturday morning and there was Christmas trees everywhere. We walked around the neighborhood last weekend.

So many people were putting their lights on. It's the first. I know. So I noticed that too. This year I felt like, I still don't feel like we're in the holiday mode yet. No. And I went to, Sawyer and I, went home goods and we went go get some Thanksgiving decor because I didn't have anything. There was one small little section that was on clearance because it was like already 70% off because you're late. Because I'm late, this was literally on Halloween. It was Easter. It's crazy. But yeah, so it's a fun day, obviously, to be with your family and to enjoy food and whatever you do and the traditions and games.

That's one thing we don't really do. We don' play a lot of games on Thanksgiving. Well, I think there's too many of us. Yeah, but you could still, you should bring, do that. You should do a different theme in every room and have our different game. Have like a backgammon room. Can you be the event coordinator? No, no, I'm sure you're hosting. you said earlier that you shouldn't host it every year. I should host every. Bring the games. But I need an event. Since you are so good at games, what was that Christmas game you had with them?

Our Christmas games are the best. We put the, Tissue box. Yeah, with the back and then you have ping-pongs in there and you try to find out you're working the whole time. It's really appropriate. Great. Nothing like seeing your 80 year old uncle twerking. You can never teach your kids how to talk early enough in life.

Holiday Food, Games, and Family Stories 12:28

It's awesome. But those are all fun traditions and fun things to enjoy. And you want it to be where people don't leave. Yeah. Unless they have to go to another family. We don' really have that. Sometimes a little bit, but not really. That's kind of what I'm grateful for. What else? Well, once Thanksgiving hits, it's like, before you know it, it's Christmas, and it' done. But remember that one year, the only time I ever- You're bringing the hot dogs back up? No. Okay. About protein, not family stuff.

Listen, when we were kids, he used to take raw hot dog out of the fridge. That's not true at all. Go ahead. No, The only I have ever done the whole Black Friday thing, was with you. You made me go to Walmart at like midnight. Yes, because our nanny at the time wanted some freaking TV from Walmart and I was like, honey, can you take her? I'm like... Okay, you know, and it was a nightmare. That was the last time I ever went to that, or ever did that. I'll never do that ever again. And then Walmart had everyone in pods.

Remember that? They had like different lines. It's weird. Now it seems like places don't even close on Thanksgiving, which is crazy. Like it used to be Black Friday started like at nine o'clock on Friday, but now malls open up at midnight? That sucks for those people that have to work, they can't be with their families. you know, that's wild. You know? So, cause obviously we grew up in the retail retail, our parents, uh, working in retail and having jewelry stores and we were running home at whatever time they put Thanksgiving together, you now, and same as Christmas Christmas Eve, we wouldn't get done at the mall until like four or five.

And then how about that? One time we, came home. This was a long time ago. We were in elementary school, maybe, maybe junior high. I don't remember, but we came home. It was, it was Christmas and maybe Christmas Eve. Yeah. And We had something happen where we had to bring inventory from one of the gold stores into the house and we broke it. And then when we went to dinner and uncle Mike was with us, we want to. Dinner and then we get back to the. House and the lights are on in the House. and Uncle Mike.

Was like, you know, the karate samurai. We saw people running out of. The house. Yeah. So he, he made us all wait in the car. He went and ran after them and like caught one of the guys in back alley while my parents called the police and with a phone. We, yeah. With the landline. Yeah, so, um, that was, those crazy because I was like, Oh my God, He's actually running after the criminals. Yeah, probably not a good idea to put a bunch of jewelry in your living room. Yeah. With no alarm. Hey, Bill.

Happy Merry Christmas. We're just putting these diamonds in the living. Right. So but yeah, we have a lot of crazy Christmas and. Thanksgiving stories like most families. Yeah. And making the boxes for the jewelry, like putting the box together and how we'd like, I don't think child labor laws existed back then. They made us work. We had a full, they had these like fold these boxes that you had to fold to put together. Can I take a break? No. My fingers hurt. Oh, well, now your back's going to hurt because you just pull landscaping duty.

Hmm. Anybody else's fingers hurt? 100 more boxes. You're like, OK. Like, hey, here's just five bucks. Stop complaining. Go get some Chick-fil-A or whatever we have. They didn't have Chick fil-a back then. Yeah, they did. At Metro Center, they did. Chick-fil-A and yeah. You would know that. Because you would not eat your French fries until the last thing. And you'd save your french fries to the end. I love that I thought that was at McDonald's. Oh, fries in general. Did they have Chick Fil-a back then?

Yeah, for sure they had it. Yeah. It was in the mall. But I remember that vividly at Metro center. 25 years ago. Metro Centre for Sure had that, yeah, and McDonalds. We need to fact check that Justin. Can we fact-check that? It's your first Chick-fil-A open in 1980 at the Metro Center Mall. Look at that. Was that the first one? That was the 1st one in Metro center. And now Metro centers not even there. That's the best mall ever. You used to ice skate down there? That was fun. So if anybody listening or watching has any funny stories or traditions they have for Thanksgiving or Christmas or the holidays, please message us with it.

We love to read and see what everybody else does. What are your favorite foods or what are some of the things that you do or your family does if there's a multicultural Thanksgiving? What foods do you guys eat along with the traditional turkey stuffing?

Listener Callout and Closing Remarks 17:28

green beans and all that. It's really just so that we don't feel so weird. Yeah, right. Be interesting to see that, so yeah. Cool. That's a wrap on that yet. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. Thanksgiving. The information provided in this podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. While we may be licensed health care professionals, this content should not be used to diagnose or treat any medical condition or to replace the advice of your personal health-care provider.

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