It was with some misgivings that I boarded that great airship for a land called Australia. I didn't know what sort of place I would find it to be, or the people I would meet, but that wasn't enough to stop me. When I arrived with my friend, SG, we found a hospitable group of natives eager to meet us and know our names. They taught us the language and showed us around the settlements. They shared their customs, their dinners and their homes with us.
Yesterday, we gave thanks. For these kind new friends and a place to stay, we Pilgrims gave thanks. And this is how we did it…
Tuesday night, we made a menu. Yes, I know Thanksgiving dinner was the next day, but you have to do what you have to do. Wednesday around 11, we went to the store. I'm not a mom yet, so I can still do some things last minute. The first item of business was the turkey. Australians don't really eat turkey, so this was a bit of a problem. Our choices were pre-cooked whole turkey (WEIRD!) or frozen turkey breast that was in a mysterious loaf pan box (FRIGHTENING!). We went with the mystery box, hoping it would be nothing like turkey meatloaf. Next we divided to conquer - apples, onions, sweet potatoes, green beans, bread, all of that. SG was armed with her detailed list that included weights and measures for each recipes. I was armed with… well, let's just say I was a little less prepared but hoping that my previous Thanksgiving memories would steer me in the right direction.
Twice I enlisted the help of the trusty assistant to the foreigner - the shelf stocker. He helped me find a pie crust, which was called a flan form? He also helped me not find cranberries, as they don't carry frozen ones, and the fresh weren't in season. Don't take your local grocery stores for granted, at least you can get cranberries at Thanksgiving.
After we paid for our bounty, we stuffed and loaded the things that couldn't be damaged into my backpack and trekked up the hill. There, we recharged with some lunch and made a list of tasks, including break options that included watching Hannah and Sam's wedding video and a dance party… little did we know that neither of those would get done.
We chopped, minced, diced, sliced, massaged, snipped, blanched, and engaged in a lot of other culinary verbs all afternoon. In my mind, we'd do some prep work, then take a nap, wake up and pop everything in the oven. Wrong. By the time we were done prepping, it was time to put things in! We had roses for centerpieces and awesome place cards, courtesy of SG's awesome Thanksgiving stickers. The guests arrived, we hastily changed into party clothes, swept up our hair and touched up the mascara.
Midway through the turkey cooking, we realized it called for an extra half hour of baking, on top of what we'd scheduled, so we extended our dinner time a little, and were only 37 minutes late in the end. Thankfully, the turkey was done, and didn't look like turkey meatloaf. We feasted on herbed turkey breast, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows, sauteed green beans with bacon and garlic, dressing, and finally pumpkin pie with home made whipped cream.
Our guests, which included our host parents, their son in law and grandson, and our friend Bill, who comes to breakfast every Monday at 8am, all thought the flavors different from what they were used to. The sweet potatoes were a mystery to them, and the sweet tea and pumpkin pie were nearly inconceivable (or incontheivable if you're a Princess Bride fan). They all left feeling full and happy (we hope). There was no football, but there were plenty of family stories and gales of laughter. We even had some leftovers for lunch today!
As all the guests were leaving, I shouted at SG, who was two feet to my left. She looked a bit startled as that volume in normal people is usually used to indicate a fire or other natural disaster. It all came clear in that moment, and I loudly and excitedly explained to her that this really was the first Thanksgiving! We Pilgrims had come to a strange land and had been greeted by local Indians who kindly guided us through the rhythms of life in this new place. What a great way to celebrate in the true spirit of Thanksgiving!!
We found hosting Thanksgiving dinner to be quite an endeavor, but well worth it for the sake of our wonderful Indian friends.
For all these things, we give thanks,
Little Miss Sunshine
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