A SMALLER SERVING OF THANKSGIVING
Playing it safe, San Diego families opt for Zoom calls and limited dinner celebrations
Thanksgiving was different this year. There were smaller turkeys roasting in the oven, fewer place settings at the dinner table, more drive-thru meal distributions, and Zoom calls with relatives all over the country.
These altered celebrations come as the region faces a surge in new COVID-19 infections and the state is under a nighttime curfew meant to slow the spread.
Days ahead of the holiday, public health officials cautioned against attending large gatherings and urged residents to avoid traveling.
Still, San Diegans found a way to be together during a year when some need it most.
“This is the first time I don’t cook,” Briyitte Uribe said, laughing. She sat in her car waiting for volunteers with Lincoln Military Housing to place a prepared turkey dinner and a care package for her husband, who is in the Navy, in her backseat.
Uribe’s husband is in quarantine at a nearby hotel before he goes on deployment on the USS Theodore Roosevelt. This was their family’s first Thanksgiving apart.
“It’s really hard,” Uribe said, her voice breaking. “He’s right here.”
Uribe’s family was one of 75 military families who received meals
from Lincoln Military Housing in Mira Mesa. The housing provider traditionally hosts a large dinner for families with deployed service members to give spouses and children a sense of togetherness, organizers said.
But this year it opted to distribute individual meals instead because of restrictions on gatherings.
“COVID’s added an extra layer of separation,” said Cindy Farless, regional community services director for Lincoln Military Housing.
Military families are used to being apart on holidays, Farless said, but the annual dinner was a nice way to help families, many of whom are new to San Diego, feel like a part of a community.
Uribe was thankful for the meal and said she hoped to make the best out of the holiday for her two young daughters.
Earlier in the morning, hundreds wrapped around three blocks downtown for to-go Thanksgiving Day meals from the Salvation Army San Diego. The organization has hosted a holiday meal event at Golden Hall for nearly 30 years but switched gears because of the pandemic.
Juan Ortiz was one of those people. He stood in line next to Little Anne, an energetic rescue dog that keeps him company. Ortiz typically spends the holiday at his sister’s home in La Mesa for a turkey dinner, but the family decided to skip it this year to be safe.
“It’s sad,” Ortiz said, about missing out on the annual family gathering. “I miss the togetherness.”
Ortiz, who lives in subsidized housing downtown, said it seemed like a lot of work, and food, to cook for himself for Thanksgiving, so he opted to get a small meal from the Salvation Army.
Despite the change, Ortiz said he felt thankful.
Salvation Army volunteers said this year is different for them, too, because they are used to seeing people enjoy their meals inside Golden Hall. Instead, they distributed food quickly and had short conversations with some people who they have known for years.
Del Mar resident Sarah Carey drove downtown early in the morning to volunteer for the distribution.
She was joined by her two kids Gillian, 14, and Truman, 12.
The family takes advantage of Thanksgiving break and typically plans a trip outside the United States. Last year they went to South Korea and ditched the turkey to eat local food.
This year will be the first time in a long time the Carey family sits down for a traditional Thanksgiving Day dinner. The kids were excited, and Dad was at home cooking a turkey while they passed out meals to homeless San Diegans.
Thanksgiving was also different for tourists.
Yeimi Rodriguez from Lancaster drove with her husband and two children to San Diego. Rodriguez was not too disappointed about missing a traditional dinner this year — mostly because it released her of the responsibility of frying a turkey.
Rodriguez picked up an order of house-smoked turkey breast, mashed potatoes and a pie from SideYard
BBQ by HottMess in Barrio Logan.
The restaurant offered outdoor and to-go orders with a special menu for Thanksgiving. Co-owner Dennis O’Connor said they had reservations in the afternoon for groups of family and friends who wanted to celebrate outdoors.
The restaurant was not as busy as the owners had expected, which they attributed to people doing what health officials asked — staying home.
Encinitas resident Beverly Goodman spent Thanksgiving Day with virtual company. She had a turkey empanada while speaking with family members from Massachusetts over Zoom.
Goodman usually spends the holiday with friends, but this was the first time in nearly 30 years that she was going to have Thanksgiving dinner with family. She said she wasn’t upset about celebrating differently Thursday.
“I feel like it’s the right thing to do,” Goodman said. “I don’t have any qualms about it. It is what it is.”
“It’s sad. I miss the togetherness.” Juan Ortiz guest at Golden Hall Thanksgiving meal
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