When we first brought up hosting an American Thanksgiving dinner to friends, I was shocked at how excited people were. For those that didn't know (and yes, I was asked several times), Australians do not celebrate Thanksgiving Shockingly, the Australian original colonists (who were most likely locked up for some petty crime since Australia started as a British penal colony) and Native Peoples of Australia did not come together for a feast at the end of Harvest Season. They did however force the Native People (Aborigines) off the coast and into the desolate middle part of the country, which seems to be a terrible trend. (For the record, I did look up who does celebrate Thanksgiving. I knew Canadians celebrated Thanksgiving, but did you know that Liberia, the Netherlands, Norfolk Island, and Grenada also celebrate Thanksgiving? And that it actually started as a religious holiday before later Americans turned it into a more secular celebration).
Now back to the enthusiastic responses ... so even though Australians do not celebrate Thanksgiving, they do watch a lot of American TV and movies; therefore, they constantly come in contact with references to Thanksgiving. Several wonderful ladies asked if they could dress up as Pilgrims and Indians ... which Adam and I thought was fantastic so of course told them that it would be awesome if they did. Here is a picture of my friend Sarah dressed up like a beautiful Indian:
Of course, the most important part of Thanksgiving is the food! This was my first attempt at making a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Knowing that we would probably be spending Thanksgiving in Australia this year, I attempted to pay attention to both my mom and Adam's mom during Thanksgiving and Christmas last year. I must have learned something because I personally think all the food turned out fantastic!
At the beginning of November, we were slightly concerned about whether or not we would be able to buy a turkey. Luckily, while out running one day, we stumbled across a sign at the Butcher's down the road that said we could order our Christmas Turkey or Ham. We walked in and asked if we would be able to order a turkey for the end of November instead and they knew exactly what we needed it for. Apparently, there were several other families who were also hosting a Thanksgiving Dinner! Although the turkey was delicious, I really hope I never have to pay that much for a turkey again (@ 14 lbs. cost about $80). I think it was all worth it in the end!
For the actual meal, Adam and I split the cooking duties. Our meal consisted of turkey, stuffing, gravy (which was the best part), green beans, rolls, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, and apple pie. Overall, I think Adam is most proud of how he sutured the turkey. After we stuffed the turkey, Adam used his sutures from a demo product he sells to sew the butt of the turkey closed. Here is his handiwork:
Overall, it ended up being a fantastic Friendsgiving! So much to be thankful this year!
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