Feast

Working on a Japanese calendar means no time off for Thanksgiving, so our celebrating was pushed back to Saturday.  We were lucky enough to have Japanese labor day on Friday, so we did get a little extra time off.  In case you were not aware, I am not the only American living in Funehiki, Japan.  There are 11 of us, and a few of those 11 are really good planners.  We all love Thanksgiving, so preparation for the day began at least a month in advance, if not earlier.  Everyone had their own assignments for the big day, special shopping trips were made to get foreign ingredients (including a 3 hour drive to Costco for the turkeys).  I got off relatively easy in the preparation department, being responsible for beverages (I made some great punch) and assisting with turkey prep.  This being the case, I ended up running errands and helping out a little bit with the sweet potato and green bean casseroles too. 

Celeste, me, Jay, and Eric

Earlier in the week I was a little bit worried about how Thanksgiving could be Thanksgiving if I wasn’t with my family, but I fears were assuaged when the day actually arrived.  It turns out, I was with my family for Thanksgiving, just not the family I had been thinking of.  I’m thankful for the family I have here.  They have been a great support for me the past few months, and I can’t imagine what life would be like here without them. 

The prep work for the meal almost felt like a game to me.  Could I make a Funehiki Thanksgiving as amazing as an Ohio Thanksgiving?  The added responsibility was exciting.  We had to make Thanksgiving happen; we couldn’t rely on mom to make sure the turkey didn’t dry out.  And that sense of ownership over the day made the celebration that much more rewarding. 

The Spread

Meal time was set for 3:30, which meant we didn’t actually sit down till after 4.  There were 11 of us plus maybe eight extra friends crammed around three tables set end to end in a kitchen and living room.  And the tables were covered with food.  I don’t know of any traditional dish we were missing.  Garlic mashed potatoes, three turkeys, stuffing, rolls, cranberry sauce, two sweet potato casseroles, two green bean casseroles, we had it all.  I’m glad we were able to have some of our Japanese friends over to celebrate the day.  In my last post I lamented the difficulties of explaining the significance of traditions, and I really think the best way to teach a tradition is to let the person in on it.  I don’t know how much of the significance of the day actually transferred, but I think they learned more from the experience than they could have from me telling them about it. 

After we had all eaten so much that we could hardly move, the tv came on with some turkey day football.  (Yes, I can watch football here!  And it’s even legal!  Thanks to nfl.com and my buddy Jay, we haven’t had to miss any of this year’s installment of “False Hope - The Eternal Letdown,” aka the Buffalo Bills.)  Once we got to the end of the first game, some of us found room for pie.  Oh, the pies.  I love living with people that bake. 

Leftovers are always a part of Thanksgiving, but even more so when you have a whole turkey untouched at the end of the feast.  So we’ve all been extending the feast, I think I’ve got enough in my fridge for just one more meal though, better make it count!  

(Sorry for the tardiness of this post.  Leave it to me to post about Thanksgiving on Christmas Day.  Well, New Year's is coming up, maybe it's time to make a resolution about this blog.  Also, thanks to Celeste and Ashley for photos!)