This is not my first Thanksgiving in France, it is however my first Thanksgiving celebrated without Americans. It never dawned on me that I was the only American until the fourth Thursday of November was just around the corning. I realized it was up to me, and only me, to make Thanksgiving happen in my little village lost in Provence.
This Thanksgiving Dinner may be one of the smallest dinner parties I’ll ever host (it’s just me and my colleague from Ireland), but during the week I’ve had numerous opportunities to share the meaning of Thanksgiving (how it all began, why we celebrate it, what we do, the things we cook) with my students and the professors I work with. On Monday, I spent hours working on a special Thanksgiving presentation for my classes and it has really paid off.
While most of the students could tell me that this is the time of the year Americans celebrate Thanksgiving, they had no idea it was one of our most important national holidays. In fact, most students were surprised that Thanksgiving rivals Christmas as America’s favorite.
It was important to me not to give them the impression that all we do is eat and watch football. I’ll admit that that’s a part of it but I can’t remember one Thanksgiving that didn’t include a few rounds of sharing something we were thankful for. And, personally, my family has never watched football on Thanksgiving. While researching Thanksgiving for the slide presentation, I had my own refresher on the history of Thanksgiving and even of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – which, by the way, was started by European immigrants during the 1920′s who were working at Macy’s and wanted to celebrate Thanksgiving in a bit of a European fashion. Did you know that 3.5 million people visit NYC for the parade each year? That’s twice the population of Lyon, France’s second largest city.
I also thought it was important to add that American’s do what they can to ensure every American has the opportunity to join in the festivities. Food drives pop up at every grocery store and centers prepare boxes or bags full of all the treats necessary for low-income families to partake in the bounty. The very first Thanksgiving’s I can remember include delivering these packages to families who beamed with humbling gratitude. I’ve also remember helping out at food shelters in San Francisco where we served hundred’s of those living on the cold streets of SF a warm Thanksgiving Dinner.
I’m proud to be a part of a country that comes together in the chill of November to celebrate friendship and family and to naturally include others who may be alone or celebrating a “low-key” Thanksgiving. I’m proud to have a tradition where everyone joins in the fraternity of laboring long hours over a roasting turkey and countless side dishes, where everyone focuses on the things they are grateful for. With a tradition like that, no wonder American expats scramble to find the delicious ingredients whose familiar flavors carry with them cherished memories and the warmth of family and love.
Though I’m the lone American this year, I’m feeling a little extra pide as it’s also my first Thanksgiving where I’m doing all the cooking myself – no helping mom out in the kitchen this year and no one to help me with the preparations either, not even from prepackaged Stuffing or Mashed Potato Mixes (I even had to make my own stale breadcrumbs). To make dinner all the more of a challenge… I have no oven (last time I mention this, I promise) and only two burners that sometimes cause my apartment to short circuit leaving me in the dark. Good thing I enjoy challenges.
Despite that and the scarcity of some American staples, the menu is nearly complete and includes the turkey (just turkey breasts), garlic mashed potatoes with mushroom gravy, chestnut stuffing made with delicious bread from the local boulangerie, sweet potatoes seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar then garnished with marshmallows, cracked-pepper butternut squash, zucchini and steamed carrots. All will be homemade from scratch and served steaming hot.
The one item I’m missing this year is pumpkin pie but the pumpkin pancake mix my mom sent me has quieted the craving for my favorite Autumn flavor. And the one dish I’m not making myself is the apple tart my friend is bringing from the little artisan patisserie.
I’m very excited, and considering that the first Thanksgiving was celebrated by Europeans in a strange, new land – it seems only natural, and admittedly ironic, that I’m celebrating it… with leftovers to spare.
Happy Thanksgiving, my lovely readers!
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