Question of the Week: What's for Dinner this Christmas?
By Cole Goodwin
Welcome to Question of the Week, a weekly news column that poses timely questions about life, politics, culture, economics, health, and more to people out and about in our communities. Each column features a new question that expresses curiosity about other people's experiences and deepens our understanding of our communities and of people from all walks of life.
This week's question of the week asks us to share in our families, neighbors, and friends culinary traditions, culture...and gives us some ideas of what we might cook for ourselves this Christmas.
Question of the Week: What's for dinner this Christmas?
Pictured: Amber Rose, Shavon Highter, and Xeovanni Orion
Amber Rose, 40, Hood River
Shavon Highter, 36 going on 50, Hood River
Xeovanni Orion, 14, Hood River
"Chitlins," said Shavon. "It's soul food."
What's it made of?
"It's pig intestines," Shavon laughs.
"What!?" said Xeovanni.
"I ate them all throughout my childhood. Didn't know what it was. It says what it is on the container, but I never even read it," said Shavon laughing. "Then my mom finally told me when I was a teenager, and I was like GROSS….but then then when I was an adult I was like, oh okay..it tastes good."
"It's said like 'chitlins' but it's spelled chitterlings," said Shavon.
"Wow, that is a lot," said Xeovanni.
And what's for dinner for Xeo?
"Stuffing. Without pig intestines," said Xeovanni.
Shavon laughs.
And for Amber?
"I don't like sweet potatoes. I don't like green bean pie. I like literally just turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy," said Amber. "But I like real gravy, like gravy made with grease."
"So you like grease." laughed Shavon.
"I had it growing up. My mom cooked a lot and was a good cook but didn't use those seasonings," said Amber. "And what I like even more than that is the leftovers. I like having turkey and gravy on bread as leftovers. I look forward to the leftovers more than even the meal itself."
Pictured: Jodi TePoel
Jodi TePoel, 49, The Dalles
"We haven't done Christmas at my house in many, many years," said Jodi.
"I know this year my Dad is cooking a ham. And Chuck and Deb Gomez at the Granada are cooking something else, and we'll do dinner together with them since they don't have any family here.
They were the ones that we kind of connected with when they first moved in and we helped them a lot with getting the Granada set up...and my Dad does a lot of help with the music and stuff.
I mean, I don't eat meat. I haven't eaten meat in thirty-plus years, but I'll eat the other stuff."
Pictured: Megan Rundell
Megan Rundell, 33, The Dalles
"I don't know. I'm just making a cheesecake and apple pie," said Megan.
"I'm not cooking. I'm having dinner with my parents and my Aunt and Uncle. I think they're doing like a ham but other than that, I don't really know. Aunt Sandy and Eric are doing most of the cooking this year because my mom can't cook (she just had surgery), and my dad's not the best cook."
Pictured: Ace & Kir
Ace and Kir, both 27, The Dalles
"Honestly, all I know is I'm making Cherry pie," said Ace. "I always have Cherry Pie for Christmas. This is the first time I'll be making it by myself with a little bit of help from my spouse."
"I'm making sweet potatoes, probably with candied pecans," said Kir.
This pair got married on October 29th, and they are looking forward to their first Christmas together as newlyweds.
"We met online and did not know that we are a month apart in age," said Ace.
"I'm a Leo," said Ace.
"I'm a Virgo," said Kir.
Ace said they were looking forward to this year's Christmas because they felt they had more energy to celebrate than in the previous years.
"I don't have a lot of energy, so it takes a lot to feel very merry about (the holidays)," said Ace. "This year has been great; my energy has been a lot better than in the past few years. But a few years before that, I didn't have the energy to be merry and enjoy it, but I still had as much fun with my family as possible."
Pictured: Rhiannon Griffith
Rhiannon Griffith, The Dalles
"You know I'm not actually sure because I'm working on Christmas day," said Rhiannon, who works in the lab at Mid-Columbia Medical Center.
"I think the hospital will probably provide us with meals like they did on Thanksgiving," said Rhiannon, "The cafeteria brought food to our department. It used to be they had free dinner, and you could go down to the cafeteria and get it. But since covid and with staffing restrictions, they've really cut down on when they're available. But I might bring my own food for dinner, like a wrap or a quesadilla or something."
Brandy Titus, 26, The Dalles
"Christmas dinner is always clam chowder, elephant ears, honey butter, ham…" said Brandy.
"My mom always makes deviled eggs. My grandma brings pie. My Dad makes cheesecake and also some other pies. He always makes green bean casserole but with the bacon and the almond slices. Yeah. There's a Christmas baked bean, a minestrone…."
Okay, but can we back up to the elephant ears for a sec?
"They are fantastic. My Dad makes this honey butter, which is basically honey and butter whisked together in a machine. So you put that on there. And then you sprinkle it with cinnamon sugar, and it's the best freaking thing. It's so good. I eat it for like three days afterward."
"And he makes these giant cookies that are filled with M&M's and chocolate chips, and you can crumble them up and eat them with milk in a bowl. They're so good."
How many people will be at Christmas dinner?
"Like ten. All my nieces, all my nephews, my sisters. More than last year, that's for sure. The families are growing to the younger generation, and it's trippy."
