Every year my husband and I spend Thanksgiving with one of our families. The only time I remember being away from family was the 8 months we spent living overseas. That winter I was pregnant and homesick and cold! The thought of spending a holiday away from family and friends almost warranted the $900+ roundtrip ticket home. Almost. Of course we didn’t make the trip. My husband promised that we’d have a wonderful American Thanksgiving dinner…just the two of us.
So we set out to find that perfect turkey and all the adorning side dishes. We were in Scotland, might I remind you. A country that (apart from the Americans living there) doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving. We were about to embark on a cooking adventure like no other without the necessary ingredients for success. I wanted turkey and stuffing and rice pilaf and cranberries and pumpkin pie…just like we have with our families. What I got…a definite let-down. Thanksgiving is more than just the food. It’s about tradition and memories and family. They didn’t have whole turkeys so we had to buy cut-up, pre-packaged turkey to cook. Everything else was improvised. My husband and I sat together while I cried (pregnancy tears of course!) and tried to stomach the makeshift Thanksgiving dinner he had cooked. It was a memory I’d rather forget.
We all have Thanksgiving turkey tales, not the least of which most likely includes burned, dried-out, or otherwise inedible. Electrolux and Kelly Ripa want to hear your stories about finding and preparing the perfect turkey. If you click on Kelly Confidential and log on, you can submit a photo, story and/or video detailing your “turkey tale.” The best part is that you could win a brand new Electrolux wall oven or range with the Perfect Turkey button. The contest is running now through November 14 so get your stories in!
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I agree, Thanksgiving is about more than the food. I remember my fiance’ (now my husband) asking if I wanted to go out by-pass the family get together and go out to dinner. I didn’t want to but since he did, I said yes. We went to dinner and then it was over. I remember walking out of the restaurant thinking everyone else is still sitting with family, this is the worst Thanksgiving ever. I vowed it would never happen again and it hasn’t.
BTW…congrats on snagging the editor gig. I look forward to getting to know you.
You poor thing. I can’t imagine how hard it would be to be in a different country and try to celebrate American style. Sorry you had such a sad time!