Thanksgiving

"'Why did you do all this for me?' he asked. 'I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you.'
'You have been my friend,' replied Charlotte. 'That in itself is a tremendous thing.'"
From Charlotte's Web By E.B. White

Thanksgiving. Only in America (well, North America, you gotta count Canada) would we have a holiday which we give thanks for the ability to overeat. Yet unlike so many American holidays Thanksgiving has retained most of its original intent: coming together and giving thanks for the bounty God has given us.
I have spend several Thanksgivings away from home. This year was my second Thanksgiving in the UK. Last time I only celebrated with my flatmates. This time I wanted to do it up right. With that thought in mind I went all out in an attempt to create a true American Thanksgiving.

Most of my friends here aren't American. Actually,  Allison's the only other American I hang out with. On many levels, this is okay with me. I didn't come here to make American friends - I have those at home. For their first experience I wanted to give my new friends a taste of a true Thanksgiving. To accomplish this Allison and I made a menu with all the traditional elements: turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green beans, and apple pie. In addition we added our own (but still very American) flare with things like mac & cheese and salad.
From previous experience I knew that there is no canned pumpkin in the UK (strange, I know) so we had Anni bring some back from the states when she traveled there this past week. Something we didn't count on was a lack of pie tins. They just aren't here. They have round things for making other baked goods but no pie tins! We looked in several places but without success! In the end Allison purchased a flan pan (I had to Google what flan was...) for her pie.
On the day of the event (Sunday, surprisingly the Brits don't get Thanksgiving off!) everything was ready. I'd picked up the turkey breasts (no way was I going to make a full turkey - that was asking from trouble!), everyone knew what they were bringing, I even had a timetable created so I knew when to start everything.
Then the day hit its first hitch - the guy bringing potatoes wasn't going to make it. I thought fast - one of my flatmates was going to the market, I'd send him to buy potatoes! Crisis averted.
When the time arrived I gingerly put the turkey in the oven. Over the next two hours I cared for it as prompted by the directions sent from my mother (last time I was in the UK I'd forgotten to unfreeze the turkey til the day of so I called my mother in a panic at 2am Minnesota time. With age comes wisdom, right?). Everything was smelling good.
Soon Allison and Laura arrived and we went to work in earnest. I was surprised how much Allison and I didn't get in each others way. When I'm in the kitchen with a flatmate we always seem to be running into each other. All the pieces were falling nicely into place. As people began to arrive I put my Craft Plan into action. That's right, I had a Craft Plan. During the planning process Allison and I thought it would be fun to have our guests do a traditional Thanksgiving craft. Having limited supplies we settled on make hand turkeys. The confused looks on my friends faces when told the activity was priceless. Most had never seen a turkey in real life. In addition after drawing their hands many didn't see how it could be turned into a turkey. But once they started everyone got into the spirit of things. Just as with children, this occupied everyone while Allison and I finished the prep.
By the time everyone arrived we had quite the international group: two Germans, two Americans, two Danish, two Brits, a Mexican, an Italian, a Dutchwoman, a Bahraini, and a Fin.
Finally, when people started to look like they were considering eating the markers, the food was ready. Without preamble people began to eat.
"People!" Cried out Allison, "are we savages that we can't wait?" (This after she had already snuck a slice of bread before she 'ate her hand'). "We have to wait for everyone to get their food before we can eat!"
"And," I added, "we all have to say what we're thankful for."
Looking slightly abash, everyone put down their forks and knifes and waited.
After all saying what we were thankful for (most of which related directly to the meal and event) we all dug in and did an admirable demolishing to feast set before us.
We chatted, ate, and drank wine (lots of wine). Everyone had a lovely time and the food was wonderful (everyone said). Allison and I even 'judged' the turkey drawings (a surprisingly intense moment considering there wasn't a prize).
I am so blessed to have found such a great group of friends here...let's just hope I cooked the turkey well enough so I don't loose them all to food poisoning!