The most wonderful time of the year is eating Thanksgiving in July

Mmmm stuffing. [View this email in your browser]( [Bon Appétit Newsletter Banner Blue]( Eat like an Ironman I’m typing from an Amtrak with terrible Wi-Fi to Lake Placid, NY for the Ironman this weekend. HAHAHA no, I am not swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112, and definitely not running a marathon to top it off. People pay to do this! I live with one of them! My humble manservant is competing in this ridiculous race this weekend and here are the things he eats while doing so: Several bottles of “sports drink,” high-calorie [“Bonk Breakers”]( (peanut butter and jelly flavor), a ham and cheese sandwich on white bread, gum drops “made with real oranges,” Lay’s potato chips, Coca-Cola regular, and surprisingly, water. What’s amazed me through this intense, months-long training (“going out for a ride, be back in SIX HOURS!”) is the dedication to junk food here. Now I get it. I get why people exercise. Are any of you readers doing the race? SHOW YOURSELF. I WILL CHEER! How to Monday The Amtrak conductor announced that everyone by themselves should move to sit with other strangers to free up seats for families traveling together. Someone seated in front of me told him, “You’re very kind,” and he replied: “It’s all an act.” This man is now my hero. ANYWAY. I made [Carla's scallops]( on Monday night because scallops are a Monday food. They’re ready in 6 minutes, they get this nice caramelized sear while remaining buttery smooth inside, and her lemon-caper-butter pan sauce is great fuel for an Ironman observer. I poured the extra sauce on my pasta (I’m carbo-loading too). Get the recipe: [Seared Scallops with Brown Butter and Lemon Pan Sauce]( Molly Baz went on vacation To Portugal, and she brought back 47 tins of fish. “I brought an extra empty suitcase just for the motherload of tinned fish I planned on buying,” she said. I didn’t make that number up for hyperbole. 47. “If they were going to try and take them away from me,” she said with the heat we all reserve for the TSA “someone was going to PAY.” But she got through. Someone on the train Just said, “I don’t want my life on Instagram to be a brand.” 😆 The most wonderful time of the year This week in the Test Kitchen there were tastings for upcoming Thanksgiving sides. You could start your day with a lobster roll, grab a few bites of parsnips, some roasted carrots, a serving of cornbread stuffing, glazed shallots, a few Brussels sprouts...then go outside where it’s a bone-chilling 87 degrees. “Thanksgiving in July is a tradition at BA,” said Andy Baraghani, who’s working on a stuffing recipe, “Unfortunately it conflicts with another tradition: maintaining a summer bod.” Have you noticed Aperol is everywhere? The New York Times did. [Here’s an interesting read]( on the intense marketing behind the bitter aperitif, which [we prefer with a few olives](. Unrelated but riveting development: the guy next to me on the train told someone on the phone he’d “call them back in 15, I’m in the car.” Liar! WE ATE THE POPCORN After a few follow-ups to the follow-up press emails, I have to admit that yes, we ate the [Double Good Popcorn]( that was sent to the office. We ate it all, and fast. Unlike most bags of popcorn (or chips), these are packed to the top, there’s no wasted air in the bag, which means you get Maximum Popcorn Quantity. As whiny professional chip eaters we were impressed by that fact. “In queso fire” was good, but “easy peasy caramel cheesy” (it was double coated in caramel then cheese) was the staff favorite. And the company donates 50 percent of profits to help kids with special needs. Oh they got me. Straight to the heart. Unnecessary food feud of the week On Instagram (now considered a “place”), [Andrew Knowlton]( announced: “The roll hierarchy: crab>shrimp>lobster. Sorry, it’s just true.” Janiac1002 was relieved. “Thank god someone finally said it” Kirelerya was like nah, “Do not agree, crab goes to the end, also fried clam roll is missing....” lesroi doesn’t feel that strongly but felt the need to share: “would maybe put lobster before shrimp 🤷 ♀️” Bdigs stops combing her hair with a fork for a sec to type: “Crab is generally >> lobster, and that’s the best kept crustacean secret.” Within the office, there was buzzing. “I don’t disagree about crab roll being the most special," said Carla, “but his perspective on shrimp comes from living in the South. Us Yankees like a lobbie.” And yet: “Shrimp salad is primoooo,” wrote associate editor Alex Delany in Slack, who’s never had a crab roll. Emily Schultz of the social media dept. agreed eloquently: “i like shrimp salad w lil teeny shrimpz in it”. “You have all had crab rolls,” wrote associate editor Christina Chaey, “They’re called California rolls.” Well, I’ve got anti-chafe cream I need to apply (this race is really taking a toll on my thighs), so have a roly poly weekend, folks! Have a good weekend! Alex Beggs Senior Editor What do you think of the BA newsletter? Send us your thoughts at staff.bonappetit@gmail.com. [Advertisement]( [Powered by LiveIntent]( [Ad Choices]( Get The Magazine [Bon Appétit] [SUBSCRIBE]( This e-mail was sent to you by Bon Appetit. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, [bonappetit@newsletters.bonappetit.com]( to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Copyright © Condé Nast 2018. One World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007. All rights reserved.