Nutter Slashes Cranberry Sauce From Menus
November 25, 2008 –
Mayor Michael Nutter yesterday ended weeks of speculation by announcing a painful, if expected, money-saving maneuver: the removal of cranberry sauce from all Philadelphians’ Thanksgiving-Day menus. “We’re looking to move the city forward in a fiscally responsible way, and cutting cranberry sauce was, unfortunately, our best option,” he said at a morning news conference. “Doing this gives us flexibility, while also allowing turkey, stuffing, and yams to remain on Thanksgiving tables across Philadelphia.”
 Reaction to the mayor’s side-dish-elimination was mixed. “We’re facing very tough times, and I think this is a sensible response to the crisis,” said Councilwoman Anna C. Verna. “And to be perfectly frank: does anybody even like cranberry sauce?” Councilman Darrell Clarke offered an aggrieved answer: “Cranberry sauce has become a tradition in thousands of city households, including my own,” he said, visibly upset by Nutter’s plan. “My wife puts the walnuts and everything in there. Rest assured, I’ll be asking the mayor to reconsider, and make these cuts elsewhere—perhaps by removing the marshmallow topping from the sweet potatoes.”
Nutter, though, did not seem likely to budge. “We looked at possible dish reductions from a variety of angles—percentage eaten, leftover consumption, amounts tossed out after two weeks—and [cranberry sauce] was the obvious choice,” he insisted. “I know that won’t make it any easier for those who depend on cranberry sauce to round out their Thanksgiving dinners.” But would the bitter, jellylike side dish be restored when the city regained its economic footing? “It’s our plan for this to be a permanent cut, yes,” said Nutter’s chief of staff, Clay Armbrister. “Our advice, though, is to just have an extra scoop of stuffing in place of the sauce. Honestly, you won’t even miss it.”
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