Ceci n'est pas un blog

Last night and today 4 of the Americans and one volunteered Indian (Asian not Native American) made a thanksgiving lunch to serve about 200 of our fellow employees.

Initially there wasn't much enthusiasm for this project but we revived it and got cooking. There were a lot of essentials missing and some substitutions but we think we got the core of it just right. Turkey breasts (oddly, covered in sort of a mild cajun/paprika rub), garlic mashed potatoes which we mashed by hand and used real whole garlic, pumpkin pie from whole pumkins with something close to a graham cracker crust, lingonberries in place of cranberries, and proper whipped cream. No stuffing, no casserole.

The feedback all day has been good. The huge pumpkin pies that we made in giant metal trays turned out really well even without nutmeg or ginger. People have been talking about the need for naptime, surely a good sign. The kitchen staff were all really helpful and pretty much gave us free rein to use all the industrial equipment from meat slicers to an oven that can easily hold a grown man standing up.

And so we chatted into the night, mixing, and mashing, and stirring, and pouring, and resumed again in the morning to slice and heat and whip.

Philosophically, I couldn't care less about the food traditions of Thankgiving but rather enjoy the family and holiday and chance to visit and chat with family I don't normally see. Even if we ate only a grilled cheese sandwich, spending time with family and friends is really the main point. I can be quite cynical about the artificiality of the Thanksgiving myth ... But the reality is that it is a holiday I look forward to and this was a really fun way for us few US expats to get to know eachother better and do something nice for our colleagues. And it connects us a little to our families at home whom we miss, to know that we are sharing in the rituals of the day, however distant we may be.

Obviously, the picture that my daughter made for me, melts my heart and I have it printed and sitting on the little shrine above my computer next to the Buddha she chose for me last Father's day.

More pics in a new album (tgiving 06). Have a happy turkey day.