Holiday Hoopla and Feminine Conversations

Happy Thanksgiving to all, a day late. To be cheesy and fulfill my holiday duty, I am thankful for the turn my life has taken in the past few months because I'm very much enjoying the things I'm currently doing with myself.

On to other holiday duties... FOOD! I ate so much food that I woke up this morning still full and didn't eat until way in the afternoon. But damn, was that food yummy! And now there are tons of leftovers, which is really good but also really bad when it comes to getting too full. But how could one resist Mrs. Fine's Thanksgiving Menu? Let me just give a brief overview of the various foods I fully enjoyed yesterday:
Started off with red wine, crackers and guacamole with hot salsa, amazing stuffed mushrooms, and roasted red peppers
Moved to the table with normal, gluten-free and vegetarian stuffing, gluten-free cornbread with spinach and cheese, delicious sweet potatoes, loads of mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts with lemon sauce, and more that I'm totally forgetting.
After that was some tea, followed by (gluten-free, of course) pumpkin pie, pecan pie and apple pie, with ice-cream on the side.
YUM!!!!!

So all of this food was consumed at Dave's parents' house in Boston. For the first time ever, I spent a holiday with my boyfriend's family! And it was great. I was a bit nervous going into it, just because of the whole concept, but it was great in so many ways and very silly for me to have been nervous at all. First off, as proven in the above menu, his mom is a fabulous cook and was very sweet about my being a veg. She made tons of vegetarian food, making sure to use vegetable broth and separate utensils while cooking. She also put the turkey on a cabinet and made everyone go over and serve themselves, rather than placing it on the table where it would be in my view. What a sweet and thoughtful woman! I felt special. Aside from the delicious food, I got to spend more time with both of them, and getting to know your partner's parents really gives a deeper understanding of your partner in a way that I appreciate. Both Dave and his mom are similar in that they're very aware of emotions and people and the world in general, yet manage to escape certain societal pressures and live in their own worlds without being removed from reality. It's just really cool to get to know her; I like her a lot.

I'm also learning more about his father, who is very political and passionate and funny. At first I was a little nervous about what he thought of me, but now it's a lot more comfortable, and I'm really enjoying getting to know them both while also letting them get to know me. I'm quite glad our relationship is going well! My ex-boyfriend's parents could not believe I was the girl their son dragged in... a poor hick with dreadlocks from KY? Really, did you have to do this to us? That's the attitude Nick's mother assumed when I was around, and it made me feel really uncomfortable (obviously). I'm really happy that Dave has such warm, open, cool parents.

Yay Thanksgiving.

Other things on my mind: recently overheard feminine conversations. The other day, I was riding on the subway and overheard these two twentysomething girls talking about shopping for underwear. One of them said she needed to buy new underwear and that right at that moment, she was wearing her period underwear and wanted to buy new, cute ones. When I heard this I broke into a huge smile because I knew exactly what she was talking about. EVERY girl has her period underwear...those ugly, granny pants that have stains all inside them and are either pink, red or printed with something cheesy like big snowflakes. I would bet that the large majority of women in this world, due to personal experience, understand the concept of "period underwear."

So wait, why is it weird to talk about our periods? I'm sure most people reading are cringing right now, and probably all the boys will choose not to continue further. But that seems ridiculous to me. I hate it when our periods are this gross, hush-hush topic, and I love it when I hear women openly and loudly talking about it on subways. What's wrong with the word "tampon?" Why is "feminine needs" more acceptable than "Tampons, Pads, Etc" in the grocery store aisles? Why do men act offended and ask us to stop talking about it, or pretend to cover their ears when we compare cramps and aches? Our periods are how you got here, mister. Yeah, they're pretty gross, but almost all women have suffered through a period, most likely many of them, and that's just how it is. There are gross things in life that we talk about all the time. I.e., fighting and getting all beat up is pretty gross, but some people actually pay money to watch fights, and lots of people definitely talk about them with frequency. But I bet there are more people in this world have their periods than people who get into bloody fist fights.

So on this holiday weekend, think not only of what you are thankful for or what food you just overstuffed yourself with or what crazy family member you just saw, but think also of the female menstrual cycle.