Since it’s an election year. I vote for turkey. That’s my number one choice for Thanksgiving dinner. Me and 88 percent of Americans made the same choice, resulting in 46 million turkeys, making it by far, the biggest turkey day of the year. The story goes that turkey for Thanksgiving dinner became tradition in 1796 when the first cookbook in America was released.
American Cookery had several recipes that included turkey, a bird that was indigenous to America. Turkey became an icon in our mind much later as turkey was included in Norman Rockwell’s 1943 painting, “Freedom from Want”. American magazines also highlighted turkeys on their November issue covers. A food historian believes that the turkey on the table might be the ultimate symbol of holiday and America. Further, she states that it conveys the idea that everyone is welcome at the table; to put aside one’s differences and share a meal. I agree completely. Thanksgiving is a busy time of year for everyone, but to me, one that symbolizes family, togetherness, sharing, tradition and gratitude. It’s a wonderful time of year.
I’d vote for ham too. In this election, we can have more than one winner in this vote as 60% of Americans eat ham on Thanksgiving. Statistics show that other options like chicken, roast beef, seafood and steak get write-in votes. Now I love all of those foods, but it’s turkey for me. I didn’t realize that I was so easily influenced by a Norman Rockwell painting. For the undecided, there’s lots of choices.
We all know that the main course is not the only item on the ballot. Vote for your favorite sides and desserts. Let’s see. My mother-in-law’s recipe for homemade cranberry sauce tops the list. Once a year, I get this treat. I’ve never liked canned cranberry sauce. It’s shaped too much like the can. LOL. Statistically, the most popular side dishes are, in order, mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls & gravy. I find it odd that mashed potatoes and gravy are separated. Would you separate Penn & Teller? Batman and Robin? Rocky and Bullwinkle? I guess I could go on and on. But back to voting. Cranberry sauce as a popular side dish is pretty far down the list. Obviously, they’ve never tasted my mother-in-law’s recipe. Dessert choices? Pumpkin pie is the obvious choice and I really enjoy it. In fact, at my annual holiday event, I give away lots and lots of pumpkin pies to my guests to kick off the holiday season because it is SO holiday season. But I think I’d pick apple pie if I only got to vote for one. Especially the wonderful apple pies that are available in Apple Hill area.
Should you choose to host Thanksgiving dinner—let’s be serious, many times it’s other people that vote for YOU to host the dinner. It’s sort of like when you’re absent at a committee meeting and they’re voting for who gets to do what. You can be sure you got voted in. But again, off on a tangent. But you should have a home to host the gathering. So, time to talk about local real estate statistics. Nice segue way this time, right? If it’s just you or maybe a group of up to four people, there’s lots of choices. Condos and homes up to 1600 square feet may do the job. In El Dorado Hills (EDH), on the market on the day of this writing, there are seven homes that offer up that square footage. While five are listed between $420,000 to $695,000, there are two that sit on over nine acres that are well over $1.5m. Lots of room to play that Thanksgiving family football game. You can even invite an audience. Folsom has 20 homes in this size that range from $399,000 to $715,000.
If you’re going to host up to 12 people, you may need a home that’s closer to 3000 sq ft. No pool needed. Homes on the market that are between 2500 to 3500 square feet, in EDH, there are 49 homes priced between $759,000 and $2.8m. The median is $1m exactly. In Folsom, there are only 21 homes that meet these criteria, priced from $724,000 to $1.6m, with a median price of $999,000. For the small percentage of hosts that need over 3500 square feet, EDH offers 57 homes, starting at $899,000 with a median of $1.79m. Folsom offers only 13 homes in this category; list price starting at $899,000 with a median of $1.37m.
Both communities are very popular. Just ask the residents! So, vote for your favorite community. I love where I live. Feel free to text or email your thoughts. Happy Thanksgiving.
I’m excited to continue to help more families in 2024 with their real estate needs. With proper planning and a good Realtor (Luckily, I know a really good one….), you can smoothly get to your next stage in life. For more tips on how to successfully navigate the real estate purchase or sale, or suggestions on Folsom topics, please contact me at Coldwell Banker Realty, 916.812.4341, pquan@cbnorcal.com, www.PatQuan.com. CA DRE #01918240
The above commentary was authored by local resident Pat Quan who regularly submits to Folsom Times. The views and opinions expressed in community commentary submissions are that of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Folsom Times, its management, staff, stakeholders or advertisers.
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