A Tale of Three Thanksgivings

A close second to July 4th, Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. No gift pressure, no expectations, just family and food. Suffice it to say that I was very envious of everyone back in the states able to celebrate the turkey filled holiday. The only time I have missed the holiday was the last time I was in Spain, however, my study abroad program made the promise (and hyped up) a meal for us. Our director had lived in the states for 12 years and his wife was American, I had high hopes they were going to make sure it was done right. Most disappointing meal ever would be a grave understatement. This year, having no program or culinary skills I had not even entertained the idea of a Thanksgiving meal. Two weeks before turkey day begins the story of the most gluttonous weekend of my life….

Meal the first: With about a fortnight until the big day, the other Americans I work with began throwing around the idea of having our own Thanksgiving. As the day approached the talks escalated but as I left for ht eh weekend on Thursday (the actual holiday), nothing had been finalized. Friday afternoon I received a text from the would-be-hostess confirming the details. I had never hung out with my colleagues (for a plethora of reasons); however, it was nice to get to know them a little better. The meal itself was actually chicken (turkey is quite expensive in Spain, especially if you want to buy one in its entirety) but no complaints. It was good food and good company, in reality, what Thanksgiving is all about anyway.

The second course (the real deal): After the aforementioned meal I returned home to a very pleasant email. One of my father’s friends in Madrid had invited me, albeit last minute, to their Thanksgiving celebration the next day. I responded with as much grace as possible at two o’clock in the morning with a few bottles of wine in me, and the next day at three I made my way to their apartment. Full American Thanksgiving…not a detail missing. Full stuffed turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, etc….truly epic.

The final course: Mike and Alex are two of my closest friends in Madrid. Within two weeks of knowing them, Alex assured me that when November came around there would be a Thanksgiving meal for all of us. She took the reigns, Mike and I brought the wine, and we all celebrated with some of our Spanish friends. To echo the abovementioned theme, perfect Thanksgiving conditions.

In the end I would say it was a very successful holiday weekend. Although I was not celebrating with my family, it was quite nice to have so many people open their doors and, most importantly, their kitchens for me.