COMMENTARY

Let someone else do the work on Thanksgiving

A number of local restaurants will be serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner Thursday.

Thanksgiving, you may be surprised to learn, is Thursday.

Wherever, one wonders, does the time go?

If you are unable or unwilling to be host of a Thanksgiving dinner yourself or to attend one of a family member or friend, you can always spend a pleasant turkey-filled hour or two at a local restaurant. Most are closed on Thanksgiving, but several are open.

A number of local restaurants will be serving a traditional Thanksgiving dinner Thursday.

This is not necessarily a complete list, but these are the ones that told us they would be open:

● Valleywood Golf Club, 13501 Airport Hwy., near Swanton. Noon-4 p.m.

● Hathaway House, 424 W. Adrian St., Blissfield. Noon-7 p.m. Reservations: 517-486-2144.

● Main Street Stable and Tavern, 116 N. Main St., Blissfield. 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Buffet for $24.95 (adults), $11.95 (5-12 years old), and free to children under 5. Reservations: 517-486-2144.

● Bob Evans Restaurants, multiple locations. 7 a.m.-2 p.m.

● J. Patrick’s, Holiday Inn French Quarter, 10630 Fremont Pike, Perrysburg. 11 a.m.-3 p.m. (last seating). Buffet for $23.99 (adults), $19.99 (seniors), $11.99 (ages 4-12), and free for children 3 and under.

● Epic Buffet, Hollywood Casino, 1968 Miami St., 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Buffet for $24.99.

● Cousino’s Steakhouse, 1842 Woodville Rd., Oregon, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. (last seating). Regular menu or buffet. For reservations: 419-693-0862.

● 1812 Food & Spirits, Island House Hotel, 102 Madison St., Port Clinton. 11:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Family-style meal for $22.50 (adults), $11.25 (10 and under). Advanced reservations required: 419-960-7546.

● Cracker Barrel restaurants, multiple locations. 6 a.m.-10 p.m. They also offer a pre-ordered bulk Thanksgiving meal to go.

● Water's Edge, Maumee Bay State Park, 1750 State Park Rd., Oregon. 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Buffet, $26.95 (adults), $21.95 (seniors). Dinner served from 5-8 p.m.

● The Forks, 216 E. Front St., Pemberville, Ohio. Buffet $12.99 (adults), $5.99 (children 6-11), and free for children under 6.

● Claddagh, Franklin Park Mall, 5001 Monroe St. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Buffet $24.95 (adults) $10.95 (children 4-10), and free for children under 4. Reservations highly recommended at 419-472-1414.

More cookbooks

The cookbook conundrum continues.

Two weeks ago, we asked where people could take their old cookbooks. Schools don’t want them, for the most part, and neither do libraries (although, as we learned, library auxiliary groups are happy to sell them). Many used book stores in town have closed, though some are still open.

Last week, we printed the suggestions from a whole bunch of people about where to take them (Friends of the Library, the 577 Foundation, a nonprofit used book store in Marblehead, drop them off anonymously at laundromats, bring a few in at a time for your co-workers, an online book swap, and even a local cookbook collector). We thought that would be the end of it.

But no, more suggestions continued to come in since then. So for what we hope is the very last word on the matter, we offer these suggestions from our readers:

Better World Books (www.betterworldbooks.com) sells donated books and uses the proceeds to fight illiteracy around the world; they have a number of book donation boxes scattered around the area. In Bluffton, Ohio, a nonprofit used book store called Book ReViews “will take all that you have.” One colleague recommended such places as the Cherry Street Mission or Mom’s House, which might be able to give them to people who are going into an apartment with nothing.

Or, she says, “advertise them on Craigslist in the free section. They’ll go like hot cakes.”

And finally we heard from an employee at the 577 Foundation, who wrote with a clarification. The book center at the foundation does not keep the proceeds from books that are sold, as we had written. Rather, the money is split between the Read for Literacy Foundation and a rotating group of nonprofit organizations which staff the center for three months at a time.

Gala in Waterville

Downtown Waterville will be holding its annual holiday open house on Saturday, featuring many activities that have nothing to do with food.

But some of them do have to do with food, and those are the ones that interest us the most. Although if we are to be completely honest, these particular activities are not actually activities, they are more like good deals for people who have children. But don’t worry — there are plenty of other nonfood-related activities, too.

The food parts include Dale’s Diner, where children 12 and under will eat for free from the kids’ menu all day long. The Koral Hamburg and Diner will give a free children’s meal to kids 12 and under who accompany someone making an adult meal purchase and who also brings in a new hat, scarf, gloves, pajamas, socks, or underwear for ISOH/​IMPACT’S Keep Kids Kozy Project.

Children will also be able to eat for free from noon-5 p.m. with the purchase of an adult meal at Shawn’s Irish Tavern. And Smedlap’s Smithy Restaurant will offer a kids’ lunch special — a hot dog and fries for $1.99 — from 12:30-3 p.m.

Items for Morsels may be submitted up to two weeks before an event to food@theblade.com.