Culinary no-no began on Father’s Day 2007, a beautiful summer day, when I wrote about grilling brats. And eating brats. And topping those brats. I was inspired by my wife, Jennifer who, in my admittedly unscientific opinion, ruins brats by squirting ketchup on them. Other dining taboos quickly came to mind. The original idea was to take this concept only a few months, till the end of summer and then pull the plug. Then the unexpected happened. People started reading Culinary no-no. Lots of folks. So we keep doing the no-no.

Back on August 26^th, Green Bay Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers was asked a question at a news conference, part of which required a simple yes or no answer.

“Are you vaccinated ?”

Depending on who you talk to, when Rodgers tried to explain his responses in an interview Friday, he was either savior-like, or a lying diva.

Vaccination. A must-have to Covid hypochondriacs. A dirty word to others.

The question posed to Rodgers could play front and center for many families and potentially divide Thanksgiving dinner later this month.

The NY Times reports:

For the first time in two years, Tim Wyatt is hosting a Thanksgiving feast at his home in Birmingham, Ala. Along with the traditional turkey, Wyatt will spend days preparing his slow-roasted pork shoulder with Alabama white sauce. His wife, Nancy Wyatt, will cook all of her enticing side dishes, like sour cream minimuffins and sweet potato casserole with sage butter. Everyone from their extended family is invited. But Tim Wyatt has made a request: If you want to come by and eat his signature falloff-the-bone pork, you have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

“I felt responsible for myself, my wife and anybody else visiting my house that day,” said Wyatt, 72, who expects at least 15 guests.

Like Wyatt, many Americans thinking about hosting or attending a bigger Thanksgiving celebration this year are considering a question that has become sensitive and often polarizing: Will they and other guests be vaccinated?

Possible holiday dinner table disharmony is reminiscent of 2020 when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cautioned that the more people who gather and the longer the interaction lasts, the higher the risk, especially from large in-person gatherings, where people aren’t generally able to stay 6 feet apart. Medium-size in-person gatherings that allow individuals to be at least 6 feet apart and that have attendees coming from outside the local area represent a “higher risk” of exposure, the CDC said. It recommended requiring guests who aren’t in the immediate household to wear masks, unless they are eating or drinking, and to stay at least 6 feet away. “Encourage guests to avoid singing or shouting, especially indoors. Keep music levels down so people don’t have to shout or speak loudly to be heard,” the CDC said in its guidance on holiday gatherings. “Encourage attendees to wash their hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds” or use hand sanitizer. And outdoor gatherings were also advised. Try making that work in the northern US.

This year the test is to put guests on the spot. Have you been jabbed?

Professor Noel Brewer who was quoted earlier is correct that if you want to avoid dinner conversations gone bad, “avoid sex, death and politics. Vaccinations have moved onto that list. People who get vaccinated can also be self-righteous, and some people who haven’t been vaccinated can be belligerent. That could really be a combustible mix.”

Ya think?

As of last Sunday more than 192 million Americans had been fully vaccinated. But that is only about 58% of the total population.

Shame on Tim Wyatt of Alabama for making vaccinations a prerequisite before guests can enter his home. Downright rude. Alienating. Disrespectful.

Such a divisive stipulation can easily create far-reaching dissension among families and friends.

And here’s the biggie. It’s none of Tim Wyatt’s damn business if someone is vaccinated or not.

If Wyatt is so fearful then he has no business hosting Thanksgiving dinner, period.

And any guest questioned to reveal medical history is well within his/her rights to tell the host to stuff it.

CULINARY NO-NO BONUS

ICYMI, Culinary no-no #715