A Father, A Son And A Thanksgiving Ham

Nevin Barich

LOS ANGELES , November 21, 2017 (Off The Menu) – But who’s gonna make the ham?

That was the first thing I said when my dad told me that I wouldn’t be seeing him this Thanksgiving. Instead, he’d be flying to Boston to spend the holiday with my sister and niece.

For the last several years, my dad has spent Thanksgiving with me, my wife and her family, and he’s become our go-to guy when it comes to the ham. It’s a great ham, and I’m not just saying this because I’m his son. I mean, it’s a great ham! I don’t even like ham, but my dad’s ham is awesome. It’s crispy yet juicy at the same time, it melts in your mouth, and it’s the only thing I’ve ever liked that contains orange zest.

So when we were told he’d be back east this Thanksgiving, my first thought wasn’t “Oh that’s too bad, we’ll miss you” or “Please give my sister and niece a kiss for me.” Nope, all I could think was: But who’s gonna make the ham?

Luckily, these days it seems that every restaurant and market, big and small, offers some sort of ready-to-serve food for Thanksgiving, whether it’s a single item like ham or a full-course meal for 12 people. Back when I was growing up, maybe you had one or two local casual-dining restaurants offering Thanksgiving meals to take home. But these days, it seems like everybody’s doing it! With my dad not available for ham duties, I found that I had a plethora of choices at my disposal: Ralph’s, Vons, Boston Market, Mimi’s Café, and the place that I ultimately ordered it from: The Honey Baked Ham Store.

Because that place has “ham” in the name, so it must be good.

Twenty years ago, my dad bailing on ham duties would’ve been a complete catastrophe, because I would’ve either had to find someone else to make the ham (not easy when your Thanksgiving is potluck style and everyone is already responsible for something) or make it myself (which would likely be a disaster. See, hams require a stove. And stoves confuse me. Too many knobs). But in 2017, it’s no big deal. I’m simply having the foodservice industry make the ham for me at an agreed-on price.

Have fun in Boston, Dad. But I’ll be expecting ham for Christmas!

Nevin Barich is the Food and Beverage Analyst for Industry Intelligence and is also Menuism’s fast food expert. Email him at Nevin.Barich@industryintel.com or follow him on Twitter.

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