November is here...almost over...
November brings a lot of memories ,some of them are good,some aren't...But one of the most memorable events that I cherish is my first thanksgiving in the USA.
In Staten Island,in a small apartment I see faces gathered around a small table ready for some good food...It was cold...May be because the landlady had control over the heat...I don't remember..It was cold outside but warm and fuzzy inside especially that the person I loved who is my today's husband was there...
That week,I went to the grocery store and had to bring a turkey home with me.I was just getting familiarized with the" spend x amount of money and get a free turkey"...I thought it was cool and was planning to bring in the largest turkey to fully take advantage of the offer!
In Lebanon,in my family,turkeys were not welcomed.My mother did not like them.She thought they were too big and too dry...
But,when I came to the USA,it was not my mom's choice anymore.It was mine.I was the cook and I had to experiment and explore...So I called a relative and I spoke with some friends and I decided to go ahead and go on my adventurous turkey cooking ride!
I woke up in the early morning and got ready for the difficult task,as I was told the cooking time would be more than 8 hours...My memory stops here...I know that I waited and waited and waited and the stuffed turkey was still hard and uncooked...As I was challenging myself,(by the way I always happily do) I pretended the big bird was a chicken..I knew how to handle the Lebanese small chicken so why would it be so hard to master a huge American turkey,the biggest in the store? I waited and waited and waited...Finally the turkey according to my instinctive cooking flair was done...
Indeed,it was...
Next, I remember a lot of friends,all from the other gender sitting around the table,mouths open and drooling, ready for the promised turkey feast...By the way,I was the only girl that year who travelled to the US from our class...Always,ready for challenges...
The table was small and the rice stuffed bird was huge!Some tabboule and string beans supplemented the feast as well as some yogurt to drench the dry,on an as needed basis...That day,I totally understood the expression dry as a bone,you might guess why!
At the end of the feast, I received some compliments on my emerging cooking skills and I was pleased and wanted to believe the unbelievable that I had mastered the turkey...
With a bit of denial and a spice of chosen naiveté, I was happy with myself and gave my inside self multiple pats on the shoulder...
My memory of that day was that the turkey was experimental,the company fun and the faces jolly.Everyone seemed satisfied and full.In the end,I was the only girl and Lebanese friend who theoretically knew how to cook!
My first Thanksgiving in the USA with the man of my heart (this sentence is a translation) and some other friends was a day to remember...A date that marked a new life for me,a life of my choosing in a new country,a new home and a large family some years later!
Now my turkey is fresh,small and moist...Life taught me so many lessons..One of them,is how to cook a turkey!
Have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!
Roula.
November brings a lot of memories ,some of them are good,some aren't...But one of the most memorable events that I cherish is my first thanksgiving in the USA.
In Staten Island,in a small apartment I see faces gathered around a small table ready for some good food...It was cold...May be because the landlady had control over the heat...I don't remember..It was cold outside but warm and fuzzy inside especially that the person I loved who is my today's husband was there...
That week,I went to the grocery store and had to bring a turkey home with me.I was just getting familiarized with the" spend x amount of money and get a free turkey"...I thought it was cool and was planning to bring in the largest turkey to fully take advantage of the offer!
In Lebanon,in my family,turkeys were not welcomed.My mother did not like them.She thought they were too big and too dry...
But,when I came to the USA,it was not my mom's choice anymore.It was mine.I was the cook and I had to experiment and explore...So I called a relative and I spoke with some friends and I decided to go ahead and go on my adventurous turkey cooking ride!
I woke up in the early morning and got ready for the difficult task,as I was told the cooking time would be more than 8 hours...My memory stops here...I know that I waited and waited and waited and the stuffed turkey was still hard and uncooked...As I was challenging myself,(by the way I always happily do) I pretended the big bird was a chicken..I knew how to handle the Lebanese small chicken so why would it be so hard to master a huge American turkey,the biggest in the store? I waited and waited and waited...Finally the turkey according to my instinctive cooking flair was done...
Indeed,it was...
Next, I remember a lot of friends,all from the other gender sitting around the table,mouths open and drooling, ready for the promised turkey feast...By the way,I was the only girl that year who travelled to the US from our class...Always,ready for challenges...
The table was small and the rice stuffed bird was huge!Some tabboule and string beans supplemented the feast as well as some yogurt to drench the dry,on an as needed basis...That day,I totally understood the expression dry as a bone,you might guess why!
At the end of the feast, I received some compliments on my emerging cooking skills and I was pleased and wanted to believe the unbelievable that I had mastered the turkey...
With a bit of denial and a spice of chosen naiveté, I was happy with myself and gave my inside self multiple pats on the shoulder...
My memory of that day was that the turkey was experimental,the company fun and the faces jolly.Everyone seemed satisfied and full.In the end,I was the only girl and Lebanese friend who theoretically knew how to cook!
My first Thanksgiving in the USA with the man of my heart (this sentence is a translation) and some other friends was a day to remember...A date that marked a new life for me,a life of my choosing in a new country,a new home and a large family some years later!
Now my turkey is fresh,small and moist...Life taught me so many lessons..One of them,is how to cook a turkey!
Have a blessed and happy Thanksgiving!
Roula.
