---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now the Thanksgiving meal is just so…"
description: "\"Now the Thanksgiving meal is just so unnecessarily difficult. I mean even mashed potatoes - it's like the most difficult kind of, you know, medieval id..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c51/jim-gaffigan-580_cooking_now-the-thanksgiving-meal-is-just-so-unn_889270.jpg"
---

#  Now the Thanksgiving meal is just so unnecessarily…

![“Now the Thanksgiving meal is just so unnecessarily difficult. I mean even mashed potatoes - it's like the most difficult kind of, you know, medieval idea. All right, instead of just cooking them, why don't you spend, like, eight hours peeling them and then we'll have to mash them up. It feels like…” quote by Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c51/jim-gaffigan-580_cooking_now-the-thanksgiving-meal-is-just-so-unn_889270.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c51/jim-gaffigan-580_cooking_now-the-thanksgiving-meal-is-just-so-unn_889270.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c51/jim-gaffigan-580_cooking_now-the-thanksgiving-meal-is-just-so-unn_889270.jpg)

> “Now the Thanksgiving meal is just so unnecessarily difficult. I mean even mashed potatoes - it's like the most difficult kind of, you know, medieval idea. All right, instead of just cooking them, why don't you spend, like, eight hours peeling them and then we'll have to mash them up. It feels like prison labor, really.”

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He jokes that Thanksgiving cooking feels overly complicated and burdensome, likening it to medieval torture.

**In simple terms:** Thanksgiving cooking seems absurdly hard.

Key Takeaway

Embrace simplicity, enjoy the holiday.

Themes

humor food holiday frustration

Mood

playful ironic

Type

comedic observational

When to use this quote

- family gatherings
- holiday cooking
- meal planning

Key Concepts

modern life social commentary absurdity

Questions to Reflect On

- What parts of holiday prep bring you joy?
- How can you simplify without losing tradition?

A Different Perspective

The joke may overlook cultural traditions that add meaning.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Cooking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooking/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Eight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eight/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Food](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/food/) [Hours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Know me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-me/) [Knows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knows/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Mashed potatoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mashed-potatoes/) [Meals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meals/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Medieval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medieval/) [Peeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/peeling/) [Potatoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/potatoes/) [Potatoes Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/potatoes-like-1129488/) [Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prison/) [Thanksgiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thanksgiving/) [Thanksgiving Meal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thanksgiving-meal-413203/) [Unnecessarily Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unnecessarily-difficult-1129489/)

## Related quotes

> [My friend said to me, You know what I like? Mashed potatoes. I was like, Dude, you have to give me time to guess.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/my-friend-said-to-me-you-know-what-i-like-mashed-potatoes-i-was-like/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [Architecture is unnecessarily difficult. It's very tough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zaha-hadid/architecture-is-unnecessarily-difficult-it-s-very-tough/)

[Zaha Hadid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zaha-hadid/)

> [“After a few years of watching the human species make things unnecessarily difficult for itself I have little hope that it will do anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/after-a-few-years-of-watching-the-human-species-make-things/)

[Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/)

> [The Thanksgiving meal should not be treated as a grad school exam or an Olympic dive. Whatever you cook will be good enough -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-schmich/the-thanksgiving-meal-should-not-be-treated-as-a-grad-school-exam-or/)

[Mary Schmich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-schmich/)

> [You can't have a good Thanksgiving meal without a little bit of ketchup on the side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-mahomes/you-can-t-have-a-good-thanksgiving-meal-without-a-little-bit-of/)

[Patrick Mahomes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-mahomes/)

> [Life is all about balance, and there are certain times of the year - birthday, anniversary, holidays - that are meant to be enjoyed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harley-pasternak/life-is-all-about-balance-and-there-are-certain-times-of-the-year/)

[Harley Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harley-pasternak/)

> [“Food is not so much a symbol of freedom as the first requirement of freedom. We eat foods that are native to America on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/food-is-not-so-much-a-symbol-of-freedom-as-the-first-requirement-of/)

[Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/)

> [A lot of chefs don't have a natural sense of economy. I was with one guy the other day, and I had to show…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-boulud/a-lot-of-chefs-don-t-have-a-natural-sense-of-economy-i-was-with-one/)

[Daniel Boulud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-boulud/)

> [A good or great performance is like peeling an onion; in every scene you reveal another layer, something the audience hasn't seen until then.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-moss/a-good-or-great-performance-is-like-peeling-an-onion-in-every-scene/)

[Larry Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-moss/)

> [The stripping away of illusion and the struggle to find personal reality can be likened to the peeling of an apple. As one peels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-l-young-sowers/the-stripping-away-of-illusion-and-the-struggle-to-find-personal/)

[Meredith L. Young-Sowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-l-young-sowers/)

> [The pattern of a newspaperman's life is like the plot of 'Black Beauty.' Sometimes he finds a kind master who gives him a dry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-liebling/the-pattern-of-a-newspaperman-s-life-is-like-the-plot-of-black-beauty/)

[A. J. Liebling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-liebling/)

> [With women, the best part is the discovery. There's nothing like the first time, nothing. You don't know what life is until you undress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/with-women-the-best-part-is-the-discovery-there-s-nothing-like-the/)

[Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/)

> [Some think love can be measured by the amount of butterflies in their tummy. Others think love can be measured in bunches of flowers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/some-think-love-can-be-measured-by-the-amount-of-butterflies-in-their/)

[Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/)

> [Acting is like peeling an onion. You have to peel away each layer to reveal another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-binoche/acting-is-like-peeling-an-onion-you-have-to-peel-away-each-layer-to/)

[Juliette Binoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-binoche/)

> [Telling Sam and Daneca feels like peeling off my own skin to expose everything underneath. It hurts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/telling-sam-and-daneca-feels-like-peeling-off-my-own-skin-to-expose/)

[Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/)

## More by Jim Gaffigan

> [“Cousins are like celebrities for little kids.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/cousins-are-like-celebrities-for-little-kids/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [Stand-up comedy in the end, unlike the rest of the entertainment industry, is a meritocracy. There's a certain level of undeniability you can work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/stand-up-comedy-in-the-end-unlike-the-rest-of-the-entertainment/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [I think growing up in Indiana prepares anyone for a life in comedy. I do feel like there is a certain kind of self-effacing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/i-think-growing-up-in-indiana-prepares-anyone-for-a-life-in-comedy-i/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [Besides hot pockets keeps introducing new products every 10 minutes so I always have new stuff on the topic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/besides-hot-pockets-keeps-introducing-new-products-every-10-minutes/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [“The song goes, “Morning has broken,” and I’m pretty sure my children broke it. Like everything else they break, if they did break it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/the-song-goes-morning-has-broken-and-i-m-pretty-sure-my-children/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [I am single, I don't drink. It's kind of hard to get a woman buzzed when you don't drink. You'll be like, "Yeah, I'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/i-am-single-i-don-t-drink-it-s-kind-of-hard-to-get-a-woman-buzzed/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [Babies and toddlers are mostly what I've been exposed to at this point. I'm hoping parenting just gets much easier after this. It does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/babies-and-toddlers-are-mostly-what-i-ve-been-exposed-to-at-this/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [Isn't it strange -- when you're single, all you see is couples, and when you're part of a couple, all you see are hookers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/isn-t-it-strange-when-you-re-single-all-you-see-is-couples-and-when/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [I usually don't have a burger, a brat, and a steak but it is 4th of July. And I need the energy if I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/i-usually-don-t-have-a-burger-a-brat-and-a-steak-but-it-is-4th-of/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [“If you complain about how you spend your Saturdays taking your kid to birthday parties, that means you are taking your kid to birthday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/if-you-complain-about-how-you-spend-your-saturdays-taking-your-kid-to/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [Ever eat so much you feel sick? Isn't that the best?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/ever-eat-so-much-you-feel-sick-isn-t-that-the-best/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [I believe that comedians do what they do, and then they get credit or criticism for doing it. There's nothing planned about this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/i-believe-that-comedians-do-what-they-do-and-then-they-get-credit-or/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [“Being a parent is a selfless adventure. The worldview of “Take care of yourself first” is no longer logical to a sane person if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/being-a-parent-is-a-selfless-adventure-the-worldview-of-take-care-of/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [“Occasionally, a dog will be presented as some training method for having a baby. "My girlfriend and I got a dog. We are going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/occasionally-a-dog-will-be-presented-as-some-training-method-for/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

> [Cookies at both of them. The cookies are probably better at Letterman though.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/cookies-at-both-of-them-the-cookies-are-probably-better-at-letterman/)

[Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

[Explore all 465 Jim Gaffigan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/)

## More Cooking quotes

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [I enjoy cooking, but stick to modern dishes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-starkey/i-enjoy-cooking-but-stick-to-modern-dishes/)

[David Starkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-starkey/)

> [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/)

[Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/)

> [A man accustomed to American food and American domestic cookery would not starve to death suddenly in Europe, but I think he would gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-man-accustomed-to-american-food-and-american-domestic-cookery-would/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [“In the back of the fridge I checked out some stewed apples destined to fester. I examined them closely and reckoned they had only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-brown/in-the-back-of-the-fridge-i-checked-out-some-stewed-apples-destined/)

[Helen Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-brown/)

> [My Mom always cooked healthy. Greek food lends itself to cooking healthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-cora/my-mom-always-cooked-healthy-greek-food-lends-itself-to-cooking/)

[Cat Cora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-cora/)

> [Cooking brings me so much joy. I love everything, down to the execution of the plate to picking out fresh ingredients at the market.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-budig/cooking-brings-me-so-much-joy-i-love-everything-down-to-the-execution/)

[Kathryn Budig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-budig/)

> [Recipes don't work unless you use your heart!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-jones/recipes-don-t-work-unless-you-use-your-heart/)

[Dylan Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-jones/)

> [Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from when the apron strings wrap around you twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/cooking-is-80-percent-confidence-a-skill-best-acquired-starting-from/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [I have a great time cooking and eating Thai green chicken curry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-have-a-great-time-cooking-and-eating-thai-green-chicken-curry/)

[Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/)

> [There are times when born hollandaise heads, as well as nouveaux turbot freaks and recherche escargotphiles alike crave the saignet abundance of a New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gael-greene/there-are-times-when-born-hollandaise-heads-as-well-as-nouveaux/)

[Gael Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gael-greene/)

> [Speaking of trust, ever since I wrote this book, 'Liespotting,' no one wants to meet me in person anymore - no, no, no, no,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-meyer/speaking-of-trust-ever-since-i-wrote-this-book-liespotting-no-one/)

[Pamela Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-meyer/)

> [Balance is key in cooking - you want a little acid, a little sweet, a little savory - the flavors should be harmonious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-simmons/balance-is-key-in-cooking-you-want-a-little-acid-a-little-sweet-a/)

[Gail Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-simmons/)

> [A combination of the qualities of the scholar, the master cook, the painter, the gastronomer, the sportsman and the pantologist, assisted by the skill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-ellwanger/a-combination-of-the-qualities-of-the-scholar-the-master-cook-the/)

[George Ellwanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-ellwanger/)

[Browse all 2,937 Cooking quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cooking/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Now the Thanksgiving meal is just so unnecessarily difficult. I mean even mashed potatoes - it's like the most difficult kind of, you know, medieval idea. All right, instead of just cooking them, why don't you spend, like, eight hours peeling them and then we'll have to mash them up. It feels like prison labor, really.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jim Gaffigan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/now-the-thanksgiving-meal-is-just-so-unnecessarily-difficult-i-mean/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Cooking"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/now-the-thanksgiving-meal-is-just-so-unnecessarily-difficult-i-mean/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c51/jim-gaffigan-580_cooking_now-the-thanksgiving-meal-is-just-so-unn_889270.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c51/jim-gaffigan-580_cooking_now-the-thanksgiving-meal-is-just-so-unn_889270.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c51/jim-gaffigan-580_cooking_now-the-thanksgiving-meal-is-just-so-unn_889270.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Now the Thanksgiving meal is just so unnecessarily difficult. I mean even mashed potatoes - it's like the…” — Jim Gaffigan",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jim Gaffigan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Now the Thanksgiving meal is just...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/now-the-thanksgiving-meal-is-just-so-unnecessarily-difficult-i-mean/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/now-the-thanksgiving-meal-is-just-so-unnecessarily-difficult-i-mean/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
