For many people, Thanksgiving is all about the food.
Turkey with mashed potatoes and stuffing. Honey-glazed ham with
cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes. Casseroles, pies, rolls and
gravy
– the list goes on and on.
The preparations alone for such feasts can take hours. For
people who don’t have the time, energy or desire to cook a massive
meal, local grocery stores have the solution: ready-made, fully
cooked Thanksgiving dinners.
For many people, Thanksgiving is all about the food.
Turkey with mashed potatoes and stuffing. Honey-glazed ham with cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes. Casseroles, pies, rolls and gravy – the list goes on and on.
The preparations alone for such feasts can take hours. For people who don’t have the time, energy or desire to cook a massive meal, local grocery stores have the solution: ready-made, fully cooked Thanksgiving dinners.
“It’s gaining in popularity,” said Shelly Little, the deli manager at Nob Hill. “That’s the way of the world. We like everything ready to go.”
At Nob Hill, a turkey dinner including mashed potatoes, gravy, cornbread stuffing, rolls, apple-cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie serves eight to 10 people and costs $39.99.
Most people who order dinners come in the day before Thanksgiving to pick it up. Out of 90 turkey dinners the store ordered, only 12 are left for last-minute shoppers, Little said.
Usually the people who utilize the dinners are not providing food for large groups, just a few people, she said.
“A lot of older people come in,” she said. “It’s easy and convenient.”
The deli also provides ham and prime rib dinners for $45.99 each.
Both Albertson’s and Safeway provide a get-food-quick option for people, with their dinners ranging in relative prices of Nob Hill’s.
Albertson’s provides a classic turkey dinner, an ultimate turkey dinner and ham and prime rib dinners, said deli manager Antonia Rios.
“Some people pick up dinners on Thanksgiving morning,” Rios said.
They might think they’re invited somewhere but end up not going, and suddenly find themselves without a meal for their immediate family, she said.
A ready-made meal gives an array of people a backup for situations such as these, she said.
“Husbands, wives, grandmas and grandpas all come in,” Rios said. “You see everybody here.”
Many people still don’t feel comfortable having someone else package their Thanksgiving dinner for them.
“It’s not dinner that way,” said Hollister resident Alice Gonzales. “You have more fun making it – you get the smell in your house and the house stays warm.”
For others, making a Thanksgiving meal is the way it’s always been, so why change it?
“I definitely make it from scratch,” said Susie Lomanto, who was born and raised in Hollister. “It’s tradition.”
While tradition may reign in some households, other people may find a Thanksgiving dinner in a box to be the perfect thing for a hectic lifestyle.
“People work so much and don’t want to have to put all their energy into cooking a meal,” Little said. “And the turkey is good – I’ve never really had any complaints.”
