I love Thanksgiving. This is easily explained by another 3-word sentence: I love food. The last several years have been kind of unusual Thanksgivings, as I've not spent a lot of time within 1000 miles of my family in Florida.
2003: Montreal (1370 miles away)
2004: Montreal (ditto)
2005: Switzerland (4766 miles away)
2006: Florida (there's still a story here)
2007: Kitchener, Ontario (923 miles away)
When I can't get to my family for Thanksgiving, whether they are in Florida or North Carolina, I like to either 1) find a surrogate family (like Glenn does), or 2) have a nice meal anyway.
The first year in Montreal I kind of did a bit of both: a friend of ours -- who is actually from Luxembourg, not the US -- hosted a Thanksgiving with her roommates and other pals with turkey, crazy desserts, and all sorts of trimmings with a bizarre continental twist. It wasn't quite like a family occasion, since Sean was the only guy there and we were all in our twenties and unrelated, but there was a nice atmosphere and our hostess was/is a spectacular cook. Unfortunately, our friend didn't do Thanksgiving, part deux, for 2004. I don't really even remember what Sean and I did that year, so I am going to guess it involved going out to eat or something. Which is a nice idea, but not a proper Thanksgiving.
The Swiss Thanksgiving experience, though, was a really, really good time: a great excuse to round up a couple Americans, along with three Brits and a Canuck, and celebrate the food culture of the New World with some native English conversation as accompaniment. I found a 15 lb turkey somehow (turkeys are not so popular...) and called upon the spirit of "Holiday Mom" to pull off a roasted bird, stuffing, carrot souffle and mashed potatoes with some help from Sean and his roommate, Tavis. Unfortunately, while I had the day off, Sean and Tavis (American! from Alaska!) had to work. Tavis got off just in time to help me turn the turkey over, which would have been very difficult to do all by myself. He is also a really fabulous foodie and came through for us by cooking these Bailey's Irish Cream Molten Pots of Love (a kind of brownie with an oozy center and lots of booze) AND an apple pie completely from scratch! Holy shit! The Brits brought wine. The last American, a guy I met online, brought Ocean Spray cranberry sauce! It was a beautiful experience. I made sure to play my Christmas mp3s in lieu of watching the Charlie Brown special on TV.
Last year I WAS with my family. But we didn't have a proper Thanksgiving dinner: we were traveling on the Thursday and probably had frozen pizza or something. And on Friday we were in Sarasota eating a fancy seafood dinner on the beach with my brother's then-fiancee's family. Note the "then." It was magical.
And this year: it's 7:30am. I have been up for an hour and a half. I just did the dishes. I am about to start a turkey pot pie with roasted veg, veg gravy from stock cubes, store-bought pre-cooked turkey, and a frozen pie crust. When that is finished it's on to the pumpkin pie, again with store-bought crust. And at 1pm I start my shift at work, which goes til 6pm (to be fair, my boss offered me the day off...but Thanksgiving is not for daytime television by yourself). The food will be good, I know. The company (Sean) will be great, too. The Christmas wreath I bought for the front door doesn't fit behind the screen door and I have to make at least three long-distance phone calls later to get in touch with my family. I'm feeling kind of maudlin at this point, especially knowing that my two brothers at least have access to a pre-made frozen feast my parents left for them at their house and that my parents themselves will be enjoying a fine spread with some of our closest family friends.
But that's Thanksgiving as I know it: improvising, searching out turkey in foreign lands, and enjoying the best (foodiest) holiday of all with as many other willing parties as possible. I wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving and hope you have a great, gluttonous time, however you manage to celebrate!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
5 comments:
What? That wreath doesn't fit?? We agonized over that decision.
The thing I remember most from all of these stories is that we paid $85 for a turkey in Switzerland.
Being maudlin today is understandable. It's one of the biggest days of your cultural year, and here it's called "Thursday". Holidays are one of the few downsides of living abroad. I don't know that it's any comfort, but you've always done well synthesizing a Thanksgiving for yourself and others. Thank you.
Oh, and despite the impression given at the top of the second-last paragraph, she really isn't subjected to the Caityrella treatment.
Damn. I could totally go for some Bailey's Irish Cream Molten Pots of Love right about now...
I think I need to kidnap Tavis and bring him to my house sometime just to cook for me...
Three cheers for Ocean Spray cans of cranberry sauce! I was embarrassingly old when I realized cranberry sauce doesn't HAVE to be in the shape of a tin can.
Still, I'm kind of suspicious if it's not.
Post a Comment