Ep. 071 - Plymouth, MA and Thanksgiving: Everything but the Turkey
The Chaotic World of Thanksgiving Travel, Shopping and Food
For many Americans, Thanksgiving kicks off a beloved holiday season filled with family, friends, food and of course, travel and shopping. But between navigating crowded airports, scouring Black Friday sales, and preparing epic feasts, things can get a bit chaotic this time of year!
Join your favorite podcast hosts as they dive into the mayhem, spilling surprising stats and hilarious stories about Thanksgiving transportation, traditions, nauseating dishes and more. Whether you’re Team Turkey or Team Tofurkey, this inside look at America’s most hectic holiday will definitely put you in a festive mood!
Insane Thanksgiving Travel Stories
Over 54 million Americans hit the road for Thanksgiving, with planes, trains and automobiles jam-packed across the country. But crowded highways and terminals inevitably lead to traffic jams and delays for the unhappy holiday masses.
So how miserable is Thanksgiving travel?
Our hosts break down aviation stats from 2022 showing over 4,000 flight delays but only 109 cancellations that week. Apparently airlines will hold planes indefinitely rather than pony up refunds! But the transportation troubles don’t end there – 10,000 drivers get stuck with flat tires every Thanksgiving. Talk about scary scenes from a horror movie.
And we all know bad luck loves holiday travelers. One year our poor hosts broke down halfway to dinner, forcing their whole hungry crew to squish together for an hours-long tow truck rescue. At least their roadside view included some eye-catching scenery...aka a kitschy little strip club! But their travel troubles are nothing compared to the annual pandemonium of LAX. Now that’s true Thanksgiving terror!
Black Friday Madness
After stuffing themselves silly, some shoppers work off those seconds by rushing retail stores for Black Friday blowout deals. But pepper spray and parking lot brawls aren’t the only worries facing these crazy customers.
Did you know more people have died while Black Friday shopping since 2006 than in shark attacks?
It’s true! Everything from shootings and stabbings to stampedes and other sales-fueled scuffles make retail riskier than swimming with sharks. But despite the dangers, nothing deters the millions who swarm stores like Walmart yearly. In fact Walmart actually draws way bigger Black Friday crowds than Disney World sees all year long!
And one radio host holds the Guinness record for the longest wait outside a Best Buy location – 38 straight days living large in the parking lot. His secret scheme? Raise awareness AND score sweet deals for his community while racking up news coverage. Talk about turning Black Friday negatives into positives!
The Ridiculous First Thanksgiving
Most Americans picture Pilgrims and Native Americans harmoniously gathered together to feast on turkey, pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce. But the spread at that very first Thanksgiving in 1621 was definitely less than Instagram worthy!
Rather than scouring Pinterest for hot new twists, attendants back then likely consumed eels, ducks, even pigeons or swans they hunted themselves. And don’t forget a side of onion and nut stuffing.
Mmm...birds stuffed with onions and nuts. The perfect palette cleanser after sucking down fresh fish caught from the creek!
Which begs the question – did they even have forks and knives yet to choke all that eel down? Surely the lovely ladies present weren’t too keen on getting their hands dirty!
Considering the Pilgrim party numbered less than 30 women and children combined, we doubt proper dining etiquette was a priority. Still no excuse for subjecting guests to slimy eels though. Let’s hope someone remembered wet wipes at that first Thanksgiving meal!
Traditional and Terrible Thanksgiving Foods
Today we fill our tables with staples like sweet potato casserole, squishy white rolls and heaps of gravy over tender carved turkey. But what belongs on a festive holiday spread and what should get tossed like moldy leftovers?
Our hosts highlight favorites like buttery potatoes, warm bread and juicy carved bird. But they draw the line at pretentious hipster spins on classics like Quinoa stuffing – take that blasphemy elsewhere! They nominate salads, broccoli casserole and (gasp) pumpkin pie-less celebrations to the Thanksgiving blacklist. Jello mold with bananas? Seriously, just WHY would you ruin everyone’s appetite like that?!
And don’t forget their award for Least Popular Dish goes to...canned cranberry sauce. That gloopy can-shaped log o’ berries is about as appealing as eel casserole!
But one fact everyone agrees on is the heavenly deliciousness of gravy. The nectar of the Thanksgiving gods and possibly one of the major food groups according to scientists. Obviously!
Whether you motor or fly to Grandma’s in the coming days, hopefully some of these shocking Thanksgiving stats, stories and suggestions make you extra grateful you weren’t at that first sad soiree choking on eels and onions. And if holiday havoc leaves you stranded or scraping burnt leftovers – there’s always takeout and Cyber Monday!
10 Fun Facts About Thanksgiving:
American football games have been played on Thanksgiving since the late 1800s
The first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC was in 1924
An estimated 46 million turkeys are eaten on Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is the busiest travel holiday in the United States
Green bean casserole was invented in 1955 by Campbell's Soup
The average Thanksgiving meal takes 3 days to digest
The first Thanksgiving in 1621 likely did not include turkey
Libby's canned pumpkin accounts for about 85% of pumpkin sales
The average person consumes about 4,500 calories on Thanksgiving day
Black Friday is the busiest in-store shopping day of the year
10 Facts About Plymouth, MA:
Population around 61,000 as of 2020
Cost of living approximately 31% higher than national average
Median home value is $547,000
Median household income just under $100k
Major industries include healthcare, technical services, retail
Low crime rate compared to national figures
Located between Cape Cod and Boston
Nuclear power plant located nearby, decommissioned in 2019
Birthplace of Thanksgiving in America
Annual parade held in November for Thanksgiving