An Escape from Thanksgiving
I have some news that may surprise you. Black Friday has spread all the way to the Czech Republic. Yup, the big retailers in the malls of Prague have had signs up for days talking about their "Black Friday" deals. I don't think Czechs have quite mastered the "crushing people in a stampede for 3 heavily discounted flat screen TVs" bit yet, but they're a smart and enterprising people--they'll get there.
What hasn't spread here is the day without which Black Friday likely wouldn't exist: Thanksgiving. We exported a day of blind shopping frenzy that serves as a prelude to Christmas, but not the most distinctly American* of US holidays about family and gratitude. Almost makes you wonder what we really care about. Hmm.
I don't like Thanksgiving. I don't think I ever really have. At least partially, it stems from the fact that, as a childhood picky eater, I found myself for a good number of years eating some turkey breast, mashed potatoes, and a serving of my mother's family's homemade noodles. Oh, and some rolls. Now, I quite like all of these foods, but they don't exactly scream "bounty of the harvest." What they scream is "beige."
As I grew older and my tastes mercifully matured, the beigeness was supplemented by some color: orange sweet potatoes, red cranberry sauce (not the canned stuff, though), a bit of green salad. But, let's be honest here, Thanksgiving food is dull. That is its purpose. It is dull, comforting, and traditional. Thanksgiving is not a culiary holiday, it is an eating holiday. Quantity, not quality, matters most. Personally, if I want to be comforted by boring food, I'll get some take-out Chinese and call it a day.
The only Thanksgiving food I truly love unabashedly is pumpkin pie. One year, when I was spending Thanksgiving with a friend and her family (Hi, Felicity!), I was clearly aghast that there would be no pumpkin pie, and my friend made one, just for me. She did all the work, and I merely watched. (I regret nothing.) Fortunately for me, pumpkin pie, unlike some other Turkey Day staples, is available pretty much consistently from Halloween until Christmas. At least, in America it is. Here in Prague, aside from the obligatory pumpkin space lattes Starbucks had until Halloween, I haven't seen pumpkin anything. Nor anything resembling a pie, for that matter.
Of course, I hear you T-Day lovers say, Thanksgiving isn't about the food: it's about family gathering together to give thanks. It's the one day out of the year where, untainted by commercialism and gift-giving, people who love one another take the time to sit down and share a meal. Rubbish. It's about food and football, and the whole "loved ones/gratitude" shtick is merely a facade to make the gluttony and lethargy more culturally acceptable. You want to show love and gratitude? There are literally 364 other days during which absolutely nothing is stopping you from doing so. Overly harsh? Certainly. But you don't get clicks with salad.
Happy Leftover Turkey!
P.S.--For the record, I spent my first Thanksgiving in Prague teaching my first official classes as a professional English teacher, and then I had a nice chat with one of my roommates. My dinner was something light and cheap from Tesco. I was invited to a Friends-giving, for which I was genuinely grateful, but I declined the invitation. The spread was apparently delicious, but alas, there was no pumpkin pie...
*Yes, I know America didn't invent the concept of a festival of giving thanks, and yes, I know about Canadian Thanksgiving in October. I stand by my phrasing.
#####################################################
I am, however, truly grateful for the support of all you wonderful Patreon patrons. I literally couldn't be doing this without your support. Just a reminder, you will likely be charged around the end of next week for your November pledge. If there are any problems or issues, just reach out.
What hasn't spread here is the day without which Black Friday likely wouldn't exist: Thanksgiving. We exported a day of blind shopping frenzy that serves as a prelude to Christmas, but not the most distinctly American* of US holidays about family and gratitude. Almost makes you wonder what we really care about. Hmm.
I don't like Thanksgiving. I don't think I ever really have. At least partially, it stems from the fact that, as a childhood picky eater, I found myself for a good number of years eating some turkey breast, mashed potatoes, and a serving of my mother's family's homemade noodles. Oh, and some rolls. Now, I quite like all of these foods, but they don't exactly scream "bounty of the harvest." What they scream is "beige."
As I grew older and my tastes mercifully matured, the beigeness was supplemented by some color: orange sweet potatoes, red cranberry sauce (not the canned stuff, though), a bit of green salad. But, let's be honest here, Thanksgiving food is dull. That is its purpose. It is dull, comforting, and traditional. Thanksgiving is not a culiary holiday, it is an eating holiday. Quantity, not quality, matters most. Personally, if I want to be comforted by boring food, I'll get some take-out Chinese and call it a day.
The only Thanksgiving food I truly love unabashedly is pumpkin pie. One year, when I was spending Thanksgiving with a friend and her family (Hi, Felicity!), I was clearly aghast that there would be no pumpkin pie, and my friend made one, just for me. She did all the work, and I merely watched. (I regret nothing.) Fortunately for me, pumpkin pie, unlike some other Turkey Day staples, is available pretty much consistently from Halloween until Christmas. At least, in America it is. Here in Prague, aside from the obligatory pumpkin space lattes Starbucks had until Halloween, I haven't seen pumpkin anything. Nor anything resembling a pie, for that matter.
Of course, I hear you T-Day lovers say, Thanksgiving isn't about the food: it's about family gathering together to give thanks. It's the one day out of the year where, untainted by commercialism and gift-giving, people who love one another take the time to sit down and share a meal. Rubbish. It's about food and football, and the whole "loved ones/gratitude" shtick is merely a facade to make the gluttony and lethargy more culturally acceptable. You want to show love and gratitude? There are literally 364 other days during which absolutely nothing is stopping you from doing so. Overly harsh? Certainly. But you don't get clicks with salad.
Happy Leftover Turkey!
P.S.--For the record, I spent my first Thanksgiving in Prague teaching my first official classes as a professional English teacher, and then I had a nice chat with one of my roommates. My dinner was something light and cheap from Tesco. I was invited to a Friends-giving, for which I was genuinely grateful, but I declined the invitation. The spread was apparently delicious, but alas, there was no pumpkin pie...
*Yes, I know America didn't invent the concept of a festival of giving thanks, and yes, I know about Canadian Thanksgiving in October. I stand by my phrasing.
#####################################################
I am, however, truly grateful for the support of all you wonderful Patreon patrons. I literally couldn't be doing this without your support. Just a reminder, you will likely be charged around the end of next week for your November pledge. If there are any problems or issues, just reach out.
Comments
Post a Comment