An Old Bay Ranger Thanksgiving

All of us have heard the story about the courage it took for the first troglodyte to slurp into a raw oyster. In all seriousness, I must give the guy credit, if reason was a part of his consciousness. The presentation hasn't changed much over time, so the aversion persists; however, some of us have courageously overcome it. I suppose growing up near the food source has made a difference.

For those who remember the Chesapeake Bay as a great seafood factory, oysters were a plentiful, essential food. My family enjoyed them in a variety of ways, but my favorites were always fried oysters and oyster stuffing. In Maryland, the oyster stuffing was reserved for Thanksgiving Dinner.

In 1976, I left the Chesapeake in a driving January snowstorm and, some years later, married into a family with other Thanksgiving traditions. It has been a losing battle ever since, with a lonely sage dressing gracing our holiday table for most of the past 31 Thanksgivings. This year marks another concession as we will have guests, and there will be dressing options, including oysters. I could veer my thoughts toward the question, "Is it stuffing or dressing?" or "Is it essential to stuff in order to call it stuffing?", but I will not.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture's Seafood Marketing Program came to my rescue with this recipe as my mother's is long lost. 

The rest of the menu? It's a lot like this one served on the U.S.S. Kentucky on this holiday in 1907:

And the day wouldn't be right without a prayer of thanks and food music:

From the good aromas in the kitchen to the savory feast on the table, the Old Tybee Ranger household wishes you and yours a most happy Thanksgiving

Menu for U.S.S. Kentucky's Thanksgiving Day 1907 courtesy of the Navy Department Library, Washington. Here's more of their holiday menu collection. We're going to eat almost as good as the ship; no cigars and cigarettes this year.