A Traditional Thanksgiving
With Thanksgiving being the most American of holidays, it's not really a festival I feel quite ready to host myself yet. So we were very thankful again this year to be invited to friends to learn how to do it properly. Being invited into someone's home to watch how their family celebrates is wonderful. This kind of event is very personal, and we feel very honoured to be invited into something so private.
This year we went to the home of my composer friend Mrs Hammerstein. I was slightly disappointed that we were weren't all expected to sing around the piano, but then again she has heard my voice!
All the traditional foods were there. A giant turkey, tart cranberry jelly, huge wedges of sweet potatoes, fluffy corn bread, stuffing (an entire dish of its own in this country), green beans and pumpkin pie. We ate in their back porch (extension to us English) which made you feel you were out in the woods. A little fire flickering in the corner. Auntie dozed at the end of the table when no one was looking, but I guess she can be forgiven because she did drive 130 miles to get there.
Perhaps not surprisingly for a composer/musician, Mrs Hammerstein has very theatrical children. In a speech I've only heard in movies, her son announced he was soon off to New York to try to make it on Broadway. He spent most of the evening wondering around the house singing show tunes while we played card games with the rest of the family. Also in attendance were three dogs, because everyone in the family seems to have their own which they bring with them whenever they visit.
Of course being America we ate dinner at 5 p.m. and were home by 9.45 p.m. But how else would you be ready to hit the Black Friday sales at 5 a.m.?
This year we went to the home of my composer friend Mrs Hammerstein. I was slightly disappointed that we were weren't all expected to sing around the piano, but then again she has heard my voice!
All the traditional foods were there. A giant turkey, tart cranberry jelly, huge wedges of sweet potatoes, fluffy corn bread, stuffing (an entire dish of its own in this country), green beans and pumpkin pie. We ate in their back porch (extension to us English) which made you feel you were out in the woods. A little fire flickering in the corner. Auntie dozed at the end of the table when no one was looking, but I guess she can be forgiven because she did drive 130 miles to get there.
Perhaps not surprisingly for a composer/musician, Mrs Hammerstein has very theatrical children. In a speech I've only heard in movies, her son announced he was soon off to New York to try to make it on Broadway. He spent most of the evening wondering around the house singing show tunes while we played card games with the rest of the family. Also in attendance were three dogs, because everyone in the family seems to have their own which they bring with them whenever they visit.
Of course being America we ate dinner at 5 p.m. and were home by 9.45 p.m. But how else would you be ready to hit the Black Friday sales at 5 a.m.?
posted by Hilary at
6:03 AM
2 Comments:
I was with you in spirit - our WI had been invited to a group meeting which was a thanksgiving dinner, so we had turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie etc. and a US themed quiz, which we won.
How's that for UK meets US?
By
Adele, at 9:07 AM
I'm very proud of you.I'll pass your details onto the new president. I hear he's still looking for an Ambassador for England.
By
Hilary, at 9:13 AM
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