Meanwhile, in Germany (and the rest of the rest of the world) today is . . . Thursday. That's it, just Thursday. Work goes on. School goes on. Stores are open because today is just another day (no need to boycott retail establishments open on a major holiday here--they are all closed on all legal holidays as well as every Sunday).
Our first year in Germany I was surprised by how lonely and sad I felt on Thanksgiving. I hadn't really expected that--but I hadn't really thought about how it differs from most major celebrations. Christmas or Easter may not be exactly the same here, but those holidays are still important and still celebrating. Everyone knows it is a special day. Thanksgiving felt very isolating partly because no one else nearby was celebrating anything. It was a very clear reminder that we were outsiders here and our ways were not their ways.
And then there was the food. One of the key things that makes Thanksgiving, well, Thanksgiving. That first year I could not find whole turkeys, or canned pumpkin (or pie pumpkins at all) or sweet potatoes or cranberries. Nothing. We have a small kitchen anyway and at that point still had the tiny fridge we first bought used off of ebay, so cooking a big meal was not really feasible had I been able to find things. I made the mistake of thinking that surely the nicer American chain hotels would offer a Thanksgiving meal if we were just willing to shell out enough cash for it. Alas, that was not to be and is how we found ourselves rather forlornly munching on turkey melts at the American Style diner back in 2009.
Most of all, Thanksgiving blues hit because that is a holiday about people and you simply cannot replicate the loved ones you miss in a new place. We came here fresh off of four years sharing wonderful Thanksgiving meals with our dear neighbors in New Hampshire and missing them was almost overwhelmingly hard that day. PLUS, David was on a business trip, so even one of our own was missing (in fact, this is the first year since we moved that David has been home on Thanksgiving Thursday).
Six years in, we do still miss our New Hampshire "family" most keenly on this day. We miss not seeing our families (in Colorado and Mexico--so we can never even manage a trip to see everyone) on any of the major holiday, or often at all (but, wow, thank goodness for the internet! We get to stay pretty well connected in this modern world). However, at this point we've gotten better at making a feast at home that feels sort of right, and it is fun to invite a friend or two (now that we have had time to really make some) to share in the holiday.
Whole turkey are still hard to find and pricey when you do find them (or special order one)--and there is still that pesky issue of oven space. Turkey cutlets are plentiful though, and can be made in the crockpot in their own cream gravy while the oven is put to other uses. We know to make sure we have a can or two of pumpkin here, even if we have to haul it from the US when someone heads across the Atlantic. Mashed potato makings are always available as are the ingredients for cornbread dressing. And hten we pull in whatever else we can find to fill out the meal.
Tonight, after Dave was home from work and Rio from school, we had a nice meal and enjoyed the company of his coworker. I couldn't find cranberries this year, but had a can of the jelled sauce that some moving military friends left with us last year. I enjoyed the throwback taste of my childhood even while the kids mocked me for eating the food still shaped like the can, and we had cheddar roasted broccoli and caramelized pearl onions as well as the potatoes, dressing and pumpkin pie. Not the huge feast on many American tables, but not too skimpy either.
And, for a change, we were thankful to NOT be in New Hampshire, where most everyone we know is without power (which, for many on wells also means without water, and for many it also means without heat) and has been since last night.
So, here is wishing all of you in the northeast a quick return of power, and everyone a very happy Thanksgiving, or, just a great random Thursday in November.
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(note, Rio was our photographer, in case you wonder why he is missing)
Prost!
'Hadley
When we moved, I found it hard to remember *when* Thanksgiving was -- was it the 3rd Thursday or the 4th? Over the years, we've sometimes done something little, sometimes we've done something big, sometimes we've had other Americans over, sometimes we've had non-Americans. Once we started cooking when we got home from work (around 5pm), thus eating dinner around 10pm. Last year was the first Thanksgiving I've celebrated with my family in a decade, and I made darned sure there was pumpkin pie, even if I had to eat it all!
ReplyDeleteSince I didn't get back to Durham until late Wed. night, we decided not to do anything yesterday. Sometimes, you can be thankful to NOT have to have the pressure of putting together a fancy meal and making a fuss. And I'm thankful we'll be headed back for Christmas, and get our dose of family and holiday food then.