A Cape Town Thanksgiving

* Frozen turkey… 100 Rand ($15)
* Ingredients for side dishes… 190 Rand ($25)
* Sharing thanksgiving with South African friends… Priceless!

Happy belated thanksgiving everyone! I love thanksgiving. It’s the time of year we set a moment aside to remember our blessings with gratitude. It’s usually a time when we surround ourselves with family, friends, and good food.

At the end of October a few of my colleagues told me they wanted to celebrate thanksgiving. South Africa doesn’t have a holiday similar to thanksgiving and they wanted to experience it. Plus, they added, they have been introducing me to all types of South African cuisine (i.e. chicken feet, etc.) and its only fair that I should share some American fare with them in return. It was arranged that the Americans connected to HOPE Africa (me, Ann, and Suzanne) would prepare the various holiday dishes to share with our South African friends on November 26.

Somehow I was allotted the task of cooking the turkey and dressing. Have I mentioned that I’ve never cooked either of these dishes before? A little apprehensive but not deterred, I willingly accepted the challenge with the help of my sous chef, Ann.

Success!

Armed with my mom’s recipes, borrowed pans, cutting boards, other culinary articles, and the necessary ingredients Ann and I set to work eager for our newest adventure. Delicious smells wafted through the apartment as the turkey roasted in the oven and butter, onion, and celery simmered on the stove. As our feast cooked we watched thanksgiving episodes of Home Improvement Ann had on her computer and enjoyed a simple meal of sliced deli turkey, cranberry sauce, and goat cheese pitas. For desert we indulged in Cinnabuns and Kinder Eggs. A little comfort food to ease the souls and tummies of homesick Americans on Thanksgiving Day.

Thursday's Feast!

Friday's Feast!

We ate our delicious thanksgiving meal the day after thanksgiving at the HOPE Africa headquarters. Our turkey was nicely roasted to a golden brown, our dressing baked to deliciousness and the side dishes were wafting with steam. Our South African friends provided Dr. Pepper (a rare and pricey delicacy) for the American cooks and our thanksgiving meal commenced with twelve happy partakers digging into the fare. We went around the table and said what we were thankful for enjoying the amiable company.

The food was delicious! The turkey juicy! Not exactly like mom’s, but very close! Some of the South Africans had never tasted turkey or pumpkin pie and were pleasantly surprised at the new dishes. All in all, the meal was a hit with proclamations from my coworkers that it was the best thanksgiving ever, and for most of them it was their first thanksgiving ever!

The HOPE Africa Family

It was a good thanksgiving. Ever since Halloween I have been somewhat apprehensive about the impending holiday season. Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years are very festive occasions in my family and are always very special. Being away from my family at this time of year is not something I have been looking forward to. And yet, thanksgiving was way better than I anticipated. Not only was the food good, it was extremely meaningful to be able to share my family traditions with my new friends. It was empowering to know that even though I am thousands of miles away from my family, I bring their love with me when I share the traditions they raised me with.

I am thankful for tradition, for friends (old and new), family, good food, and the love which permeates all of these things. Happy thanksgiving and may God’s blessings be with you now and always.