Thanksgiving is not a Guatemalan holiday, so it was work as usual for all of us Americans last Thursday. However, like many things that you may take for granted at home, the non-holiday seemed to assume quite a lot of nostalgia for Americans here in Guatemala, especially for the young volunteers, who were away from home at Thanksgiving, perhaps for the first time.
Our host family, Jose and Lucky Morales, had been planning for some time to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner for us, to be ready when we returned from Guatemala City at the end of the day. There are 4 Americans living at the house right now, all of us from Maine. We were curious about what the dinner would be like, since Lucky and Jose have never been to America and since we had been told that turkeys are very expensive here.
All day there were buzzings at Safe Passage about various dinners that would take place that evening. Our young housemate, Campbell, was planning to help his friend to cook a dinner, and he had extended a general invitation to everyone on the bus earlier in the week. So Campbell and his friend, Nico, had taken the day off to prepare.
Our Swedish friend had plans to attend yet another Thanksgiving dinner that evening, and she was curious about what to expect. At lunch that day, we all reviewed our own Thanksgiving food traditions. There was definitely a feeling of anticipation in the air.
When we arrived home that evening, there was a nice aroma coming from the kitchen. Both Lucky and Jose were there, all ready for us. On the table, the first thing that caught our attention was the biggest pie that I've ever seen. It was a very dark color, and I assumed that it was chocolate. But no, it was pumpkin, we were told. On closer inspection, it was actually a very dark green. Hmm. We were all a bit dubious at that point. But, first things first. There was also a roasted bird on the table. Turns out it was a cross between a turkey and a chicken. It looked delicious, and it was very good. Along with the "tur-ken" were a dish of light yellow Guatemalan squash, some salsa (a dark brown sauce that took the place of gravy), and garlic bread. Not our usual holiday abundance, but a valiant attempt at authenticity.
In respect for Lucky and Jose's efforts, Campbell arrived for dinner here, before his dinner with his friend. He brought his mom, who was visiting from Maine for the week. Along with Andrea, who hails from Venezuela & Madrid, and Yenna, who is from Korea, there were 9 of us at the table. Bruce was put in charge of carving the bird. Part-way through the meal, Campbell offered his thoughts on what he was thankful for, setting off a round-the-table sharing of gratitude. And the pumpkin pie? Even though it was green, it had been made from a green Guatemalan squash and tasted just like a typical pumpkin pie! Delicious.
Our host family, Jose and Lucky Morales, had been planning for some time to prepare a Thanksgiving dinner for us, to be ready when we returned from Guatemala City at the end of the day. There are 4 Americans living at the house right now, all of us from Maine. We were curious about what the dinner would be like, since Lucky and Jose have never been to America and since we had been told that turkeys are very expensive here.
All day there were buzzings at Safe Passage about various dinners that would take place that evening. Our young housemate, Campbell, was planning to help his friend to cook a dinner, and he had extended a general invitation to everyone on the bus earlier in the week. So Campbell and his friend, Nico, had taken the day off to prepare.
Our Swedish friend had plans to attend yet another Thanksgiving dinner that evening, and she was curious about what to expect. At lunch that day, we all reviewed our own Thanksgiving food traditions. There was definitely a feeling of anticipation in the air.
When we arrived home that evening, there was a nice aroma coming from the kitchen. Both Lucky and Jose were there, all ready for us. On the table, the first thing that caught our attention was the biggest pie that I've ever seen. It was a very dark color, and I assumed that it was chocolate. But no, it was pumpkin, we were told. On closer inspection, it was actually a very dark green. Hmm. We were all a bit dubious at that point. But, first things first. There was also a roasted bird on the table. Turns out it was a cross between a turkey and a chicken. It looked delicious, and it was very good. Along with the "tur-ken" were a dish of light yellow Guatemalan squash, some salsa (a dark brown sauce that took the place of gravy), and garlic bread. Not our usual holiday abundance, but a valiant attempt at authenticity.
In respect for Lucky and Jose's efforts, Campbell arrived for dinner here, before his dinner with his friend. He brought his mom, who was visiting from Maine for the week. Along with Andrea, who hails from Venezuela & Madrid, and Yenna, who is from Korea, there were 9 of us at the table. Bruce was put in charge of carving the bird. Part-way through the meal, Campbell offered his thoughts on what he was thankful for, setting off a round-the-table sharing of gratitude. And the pumpkin pie? Even though it was green, it had been made from a green Guatemalan squash and tasted just like a typical pumpkin pie! Delicious.
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