This non-American Life

Thanksgiving, expat-style

I’ve spent at least a half-dozen Thanksgivings outside of the US, most of which have been celebrated in one form or another in the company of other expats. There’s usually a scramble to find cranberries, or canned pumpkin, or even sweet potatoes, depending on what country we’re in. Whole turkeys are also not always easy to come by, nor is it always easy to find someone with an oven big enough to cook it in. Indeed, one year in Germany my oven was elected for turkey duty (despite the fact that I don’t eat it) because the guy who was in charge of making it didn’t even have an oven in his apartment.

This year we were invited to a pot-luck Thanksgiving at the home of an American/German couple we know here. There were about 30 people present, but very few who were actually American or who had ever attended a Thanksgiving dinner before. Most of the essential foods were represented – a big roasted turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce, potatoes (mashed and sweet), green beans, pumpkin pie…

But, given that most of the crowd wasn’t familiar with what one eats on Thanksgiving, there were several unexpected dishes that made appearances, too (ham, tortilla chips, scalloped potatoes). The one that made me laugh the most was cole slaw. I guess whoever brought it was thinking, “hey, it’s American…”

Tags: expat life, food, holidays