Thanksgiving

Right now I am watching a History Channel documentary about the Knights Templar on Google Video. I am still wearing pajamas. I’ve only managed to go outside my room to make dinner…at around 7 PM. Thanksgiving really kicked me hard this year. This is my second Thanksgiving spent in Europe. Last Thanksgiving I was in Nantes, France dancing on the bar at the LC Club. This Thanksgiving I went to my normal Thursday night club: Praterdome. I hate to try and make my blog seem like I am a Tucker Max-wannabe, but clubbing may be my new Thanksgiving tradition.


One real Thanksgiving tradition that I upheld this year is making dinner for foreigners. Although no Native Americans live in Erasmus, I did make dinner for 15 Americans, Canadians, Chinese, Mexicans, and even a Brazilian. Having no class on Thursday, I went to Hofer and Merkur in search of American Thanksgiving ingredients. Austria has a lot of good food, and vegetables here are really cheap, but some ingredients were impossible to find. The signature item of any Thanksgiving dinner is the pie. Whether it be pumpkin or pecan, pie is the hallmark of a delicious Turkey Day dinner. Much to my dismay, pie is a foreign concept to Austria. They don’t sell pie crust, pie tins, or pie fillings. The other trademark dish: a full turkey was not possible due to oven and pan restrictions.


Yet, by 7:30, thanks to my tiny Chinese helper/vegetable cutter and some American helping hands, I had a full spread on the table. Turkey breast, stuffed chicken, stuffing, corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, caramelized apples with ice cream and whipped cream, cranberry sauce, glazed carrots, semmels, wild rice, brussel sprouts, pomegranates, and some desserts that were brought by others were served. Maybe not as good as grandma makes, but still pretty darn good.


I have a lot to be thankful for: a loving family, good friends, my health, the opportunity to study abroad, and citizenship in the best country in the world.