Dinner is Served

Welcome to the 6^th floor.

Today's contributors are: Ann, Sara, Tabitha, Frank, Billy and Scott.

Subject: Dinner Time

I realize it's well past Thanksgiving. Normally I would've just let this one slide, but I figure I should at least finish the story since I left it as a kind of cliffhanger. If you need a refresher on what was happening, go here and here. Otherwise, just remember that I bet Billy he wouldn't eat the potatoes before dinner.

“Dinner is served!”

“Yah! So where are the potatoes? Did Billy get to them?”

“Nope, I never left the ki..” Ann trails off as she opens the dish with the potatoes to see a big scoop missing.”

“Billy! How'd you get in here?”

“I'll never tell!”

“I was here the whole time!”

“Evidently not. You lost. We can still eat though right?”

“Everyone grab a plate and sit down.”

“It all smells so good!”

They all sit down and take turns passing around the bowls and platters and filling their plates with food.

“We should all take a minute and go around the table and say what we're thankful for.”

“Nope.”

“Uh-Uh.”

“Yeah. It's food time, no more waiting!”

Scott digs in, and everyone else starts in too. It's silent for a little while as they really get into the meal.

“Thanks for cooking Ann.” Sara says between bites. “Everything really is delicious.”

“Well except for this stuffing.” Ann says, making a face. “I'm not sure If I messed it up, or it's just a horrible recipe.” Ann slides the rest of the stuffing off her plate back into the bowl.

“Oh good. If you're not eating it, I don't have to. I was going to feed it to the dog, but then I remembered we don't have a dog!”

“Well, sort of.” Sara says, nodding towards Billy, who's busy filling up his plate a third helping of turkey.

“You said it best. Everything tastes delicious! I'm eating Tabitha's share.”

“Well gee, ain't that sweet of you?”

“You know, I'm kind of glad my parents went to Vegas and we're all here for this holiday. This is fun spending it with you guys.”

“We should definitely do it again. Family be damned!”

“Maybe next year you'll even be better at guarding the potatoes.”

“I'll have to go into dinner-guarding training or something. We never really made an official bet though, so what did I lose?”

“Well I was trying to think of something good, but that meal left me satisfied enough that let's just leave it at you buying me a drink or two next time we go out.”

“Fair enough. How about something with vodka? It is made with potatoes after all.”

“Vodka works for me!”

Then they all finished their meal in merriment, spending the rest of the evening watching sports, eating dessert and having fun. If you're keeping score, it turns out Sara was the first to succumb and take a nap. She fell asleep shortly after dinner after lounging on the couch and Scott stole her drink. Tabitha thinks she was just trying to avoid helping to clean up.

A 6th Floor Thanksgiving: The Potato Wager

Welcome to the 6^th floor.

Today's contributors are: Ann, Sara, Tabitha, Frank, Billy and Scott.

Subject: a 6^th Floor Thanksgiving Story, part two

2:15-

“Mmm! Something smells good!” Sara says, as she walks into the apartment after having left for an after-brunch walk with Tabitha and Frank.

“Could it be Turkey?”

“That would be my guess. How's the game?”

“Brett Farve's destroying the lions.”

“Nice..by the smell...4 hours until dinner?”

“About that, yes. Good guess.”

“Thy nose never lies.”

“Either that, or because I told you dinner was at about 6:30 earlier.”

“No, it's the nose.”

“So we having mid-meal appetizers here?”

“Geeze Billy, don't you ever take a break?”

“Breaks are for the weak!”

“And the thin.”

“Hey now. That wasn't nice. I just put on my holiday weight preemptively!”

“Of course you did dear. I'll cook up those appetizers Tabitha bought.”

“You bought appetizers? With me?”

“You were preoccupied with trying to find a smaller turkey. I got us some pigs in a blanket, some jalapeno poppers, some fennel and olives, and the usual chips and dip.”

“Now that's what I'm talking about!”

“Pass the chips and veggies. They should tide us over until the pigs come out.”

"I thought you two were already sitting on the couch?"

"Wow Sara, you're really on today."

"Just a little revenge. They're always like that."

"These chips are good! What kind are they?"

"Potato."

"Nice! Good choice Tabitha!"

"Speaking of potato, what kind of potato are we eating with dinner?"

"I've got a nice garlic mashed potato recipe going over here. My aunt's recipe."

"Mmm...mashed potatoes."

"Does anyone know what the difference is between mashed and smashed potatoes? You seem them both in restaurants sometimes. Are they the same thing?"

"Maybe how violently they're prepared? Smashed potatoes are prepared by throwing them at walls and hitting them with hammers?"

"That seems unlikely. I always thought smashed potatoes seemed thicker, but I don't know why."

"I looked it up once. They are generally thicker. The main difference is that smashed potatoes aren't whipped. Once you use an electric mixer you start to get more of a whipped feel to them and then they become mashed potatoes instead."

"Maybe I should mix them by hand so they're smashed potatoes?"

"Whatever's faster."

"It doesn't matter what's faster, you're not getting them until dinner time either way."

"Wanna bet?"

"That's not a bet you want to take Billy."

“Oh yes it is!”

Others: “Dun Dun Dun!”

Will Billy manage to eat the potatoes right under Ann’s nose, or will Ann successfully defend the spuds until dinner?

Will dinner turn out alright, or will Ann horribly burn everyone so that we’re vomiting all night?

Who will be the first to fall to the tryptophan and take a nap?

To find out, stay tuned for another episode of “As the 6^th Floor turns.”

To Be Continued....

A 6th Floor Thanksgiving Story, Part One

Welcome to the 6^th floor.

Today's contributors are: Ann, Sara, Tabitha, Frank, Billy and Scott.

Subject: a 6^th Floor Thanksgiving Story, part one

10:30:

Ann arrives back home at the 6^th Floor with Tabitha and bags of groceries.

“The store was a mob scene! The streets themselves were quiet, but everyone is packed into the couple of open stores.”

“Craziness. Hey, Frank is cooking pancakes!”

“Oooh, Pancakes! A suitable Thanksgiving brunch if I do say so myself.”

“I've got plain, blueberry and chocolate chip. Help yourself...just hurry before Scott and Billy eat them all.”

“Billy's eating them at such a pace that I had to keep guard in the kitchen because he was trying to eat them right off the griddle.”

“Didn't stop him from taking a swig of pancake batter though.”

“Eww! Billy!”

“It's Thanksgiving! I was hungry! I am hungry!”

“Thanksgiving is about being thankful your roommates are as well-fed as you. So share!”

“Can I have a little space Frank? I want to get this turkey started so it's ready for dinner.”

“Definitely. Wow, that's a pretty big turkey for six people.”

“Five. I don't eat meat remember?”

“The turkey deserved it though.”

“It was the smallest one I could find actually. That's what I get for waiting for the last minute.”

“You could blame your parents for going to Vegas and ditching you last minute too.”

“Your parents went to Vegas? And they didn't invite me?”

“Contrary to popular belief, every time someone in the general vicinity of New York goes to Las Vegas, they don't have to notify you.”

“Isn't a home cooked Thanksgiving dinner better than room service on the strip anyway?”

“I don't know, you haven't made it yet.”

“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”

“I'm sure it'll be great. We're all going to help anyway. Right? Right?” Sara says, looking over at Scott.

“Of course! I don't think Ann can eat that all by herself.”

“Not quite what I meant.”

“You want Ann to eat that whole turkey? What is this, a Friends episode?”

“Oh forget it!”

“Oh good. The new episode of the Thanksgiving Day Parade is on. Is this the one where Underdog gets away?”

“If only. The weather's very tame today. No crazy winds or anything.”

“It's very warm out too.”

“Won't last, I heard it's supposed to be frigid tomorrow.”

“Well, luckily it's not tomorrow, it's today. I call next batch of flapjacks!”

“Whoops, Tabitha already called it.”

Tabitha sticks her tongue out at Ann.

To Be Continued....