Daily countdown
Need some help getting everything ready for your Thanksgiving feast? Today through Nov. 22, we’ll offer tips, advice and recipes on these pages and at www.timesfreepress.com.› Sunday: Thanksgiving tools› Monday: Choosing a turkey› Tuesday: What to drink› Wednesday: Sumptuous sides› Thursday: Beer and turkey pairings› Friday: Setting the table› Saturday: How to be a good guest› Nov. 19: Tips for your turkey› Nov. 20: Buffet essentials› Nov. 21: How to snag the wishbone› Nov. 22: Ideas for your leftovers
You might not have to keep vigil over the turkey or worry about the construction of a lattice crust, but as a guest, you still have work to do. The altruistic way of looking at this is that you should try to make the host's job easier.
Here are a few tips from The Times's restaurant critic, Pete Wells.
-If you have food allergies, let the host know immediately upon accepting the invitation, so he or she has plenty of time to accommodate you.
-By the day before the holiday, the host has a much better idea of what's missing, so call and ask if anything is needed: cocktail napkins, folding chairs, ice or piles of plastic containers for sending guests home with leftovers.
-If you're bringing chilled wine, make sure you have a way to keep the bottles cold while you're getting there.
-If you've been asked to bring a dish (no unsolicited dishes, please), make sure it's prepared and ready to serve when you arrive. Don't count on extra counter space to make it.
-Bring a small thank-you gift. A bottle of good wine or liquor to savor after guests have gone, a box of nice stationery or a potted flower or plant are all good choices.
-As your grandmother might say, "Make yourself useful." Ask if you can help, but if you're shooed away, appoint yourself coat-check clerk, bartender or baby sitter. Or talk to the stray great-aunt who's on her own.
-Don't drink too much. That can lead to all manner of trouble.
-Don't give unsolicited advice to the cook. Bite your tongue if you notice the gravy hasn't been degreased as thoroughly as you think it should be.
-Take modest portions until everyone has been served.
-Praise the cook and praise some more. Remember that no dish in the American canon provokes more performance anxiety than roast turkey, and the host needs to hear that all the effort was worth it.