Hungry Holidays

Driving home for Christmas is going to be expensive this year. With gas prices nearly 50 percent higher in October than a year ago, a road trip hardly costs less than flying. The national average price for a gallon of gas is $3.41, and while Oklahoma is currently below the $3.00 mark (amazingly, though only by one penny), Californians are looking at prices just shy of $5 per gallon.

Contrasting the record lows of pandemic-ridden 2020, the price surge this autumn feels especially rude.

It’s not just gas, of course. Inflation hit a 31-year high in October: the Labor Department reported consumer prices were up 6.2 percent compared to the same month in 2019. Meat prices are leading shoppers to choose ground beef over more expensive cuts, and the notorious supply chain crisis has meant that even if you can afford most things, many are simply less available. Always ahead of the curve, the New York Times is promoting a vegetarian Thanksgiving menu this year, consisting of just side dishes, hold the turkey—whether because meat prices are surging or because traditions must be gate-checked when you open the pages of the Times, it is caustically fitting for those Americans who can’t get their hands on a bird for Thursday.