Thanksgiving is one of the hardest holidays as an American-born expat. I’d say it is harder than the Fourth of July – it is getting close to winter and the daylight hours are waning, often pitch dark not long after school pickup.
It is that awkward time of year when the temperatures haven’t dipped low enough for Jack Frost to cast a shimmering spell over the rooftops, it is just cold and grey and gloomy.
Every year I make an effort to preserve the Thanksgiving tradition. When I was working fulltime, I would take the day off and spend it in the kitchen.
I’d order a turkey from the butcher, and sneak a Pepperidge Farms stuffing mix, Libby’s pumpkin puree and Oceanspray cranberry sauce out of my reserves of food from home – a stash of treasures that had travelled more than 6,000 miles in my suitcase, carefully wrapped between socks, pajamas and T-shirts.
Once my sister, who was living in Finland at the time, imported a 23 pound frozen Butterball turkey in her suitcase on a trip from New York. But those were the good old days of yesteryear, when there were no luggage restrictions and heightened security.
Imagine my delight when cranberry sauce started appearing in the grocery stores across England. Sometimes I even spot FRESH cranberries in the produce aisle – shiny red rubies amongst the green lettuces. Then Christmas turkeys started to make an early entrance, just in time for our Thanksgiving feast.
But the icing on the cake was when I was in Waitrose a couple years back. Tucked between the evaporated and condensed milk I spotted a straight line of Libby’s pumpkin puree. I felt like little Charlie in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I had found my golden ticket! But it was August, and too early to be thinking about pumpkin pies, so I tucked that bit of info in the back of my mind.
This year I am having Thanksgiving with an American friend. She is bringing her southern hospitality and I my pumpkin cheesecake, made from a recipe in the San Diego Junior League cookbook. We are planning a grand dinner, but no matter how hard we try, it just won’t be the same.
You can’t recreate the build-up that starts on the Friday before, the last day of work because you have taken the week off, or the traffic jams on Wednesday evening, as people shut off their laptops early and head to their relatives. The college football in the background, the family members you haven’t seen in ages, the nice weather. There’s a buzz in the air.
Here it’s just another day.
So I stopped off to pick up a few last minute items for our feast.
Who the hell bought all the Libby’s pumpkin puree at Waitrose?
Photo credit: Bigtimes
Happy Thanksgiving - and thankyou for letting on about Pumpkin Puree in Waitrose - living in Italy with my Canadian husband who is desperate for a pumpkin pie I promised but which never materialised - we are flying back to the UK tomorrow for a long weekend so we will be calling into Waitrose so I can finally make him his pie!!!
Posted by: Kathryn | 26 November 2009 at 06:28 PM
I was so happy to find Libby's pumpkin puree at Waitrose, finding the golden ticket is just the right description.
Now we're back in the US and I'm happy when I find golden syrup and custard powder.
It's really hard to celebrate a holiday when the rest of the country is completely ignoring it. That's what makes it a holiday, the atmosphere in the community.
Posted by: Lorna Harris | 30 November 2009 at 04:25 PM
I hope you had a grand Thanksgiving feast, American-style :) I loved reading that post, mainly because, of all the years I have been working towards moving there, our time draws nearer and NOW I am having a few fears, mainly how much I will miss all of this (holidays, family, friends, etc.). Nice to hear your take on it all...hope your long-distance holiday was a good one ;)
Posted by: Elizabeth Rhiannon | 30 November 2009 at 06:59 PM
Wonderful to find you all. I too try to keep the tradition of thanksgiving in the UK. Ours was lovely this year if not on the day. We had the big meal the weekend before and then turkey pot pie leftovers on the day as we all had school and work. Yum!!
Posted by: skirtsandwellies | 08 December 2009 at 01:22 PM
Lucky you having Waitrose! Not able to find Libby's Pumpkin puree in Ireland yet. I still make my pie but I had to scoop out the flesh from a pumpkin which are on sale here for Halloween. I just cooked it down gently on the stove/cooker top until it reduced and became more concentrated.
It actually worked a treat! We had our pie.
Posted by: Jay | 04 February 2011 at 01:03 PM