So had I written this post in my state of insanity yesterday, you would have heard about my mid-afternoon sweet potato breakdown and furiousness over the 15 casseroles (whatever the hell those are) I will have to see other's eat at my Thanksgiving dinner tonight!
But today I am in a much calmer state, with a handle on this feast and a relaxed and hopeful state of mind about this whole shing-ding.
Today is Turkey Day, probably the most American holiday after July 4th and I will be attempting to recreate it here in Rondebosch, a lovely suburb of Cape Town, South Africa.
Somehow I got deemed in charge of this 30 person dinner at my house. Somehow I signed up for 3 dishes and was assumed to be everyone's assistant on attmepitng to recreate their mother's classic dishes with completely different brands of ingredients and substitutes on substitutes.
Classic Thanksgiving foods they do not have here in SA:
- Turkey- perhaps the most important part (we have 2 5-kilo turkey that is really just a plump chicken- each person will enjoy a sliver)
- Yams or orange sweet potatoes- so here's to the green, merky color the white variety I purchased and cooked turned out like.
- mini-marshmellows- only coconut covered or strawberry pink ones. yuM!
- Fresh cranberries, I found 3 boxes of frozen so I will enjoy serving everyone 1/2 teaspoon of my delicious orange and cinnamon scented sauce
- Pumpkin for the pies
- just a shocking amount of on hand ingredients you wouldn't think twice about at home but here do not exist- also we live in a frat house, therefore no mixers, trays
Also another thing I have had to keep close to my mind is that everyone's Thanksgiving is different. A few years back I made a Thanksgiving dinner for my mom's birthday with a crowd I do not eat my annual Thanksgiving with and learned just how different people's traditional dishes can get. Well I have relearned that this week. Some weird ones- jello salad? (Apparently it includes both carrots and whipped cream) Again I ask- what the fuck is a casserole? We are having 4 varieites at this meal. I'm just perplexed by the concept and purpose of covered perfectly good ingredients in canned shit and baking it in the all mighty casserole dish.
So I have been deemed Thanksgiving Nazi, only letting the boys out for 2 hours to go hike this morning and demanding their help this afternoon- even though I know they will serve no purpose and should probably just stay out all day. Also keep in mind that everyone is homesick on steroids right now, wishing they were with their families and friends. I certainly wasn't thrilled to miss my friends coming to chill with my fam the other night or not see the Upper West side experience its annual mayhem last night or eat MY traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but I'm doing the best I can here people!
At 4 o clock this whole thing will go down and I will either be a happy camper, enjoy everyone's dishes or alone in the corner hoarding my own delicious sweet potatoes watching the rest of em fight like our ancestors did so many years ago on this very holiday!
peace, love and turkey. enjoy the parade for those of us without cable TV.
No comments:
Post a Comment