What do you do when you can't be home for Thanksgiving? You make Thanksgiving right where you're at. That's what my friend Jordan and I did this past week. We happened to be the only two foreigners in the whole city that day. In some ways we are like the first Pilgrims, coming to a far land and being helped by the "natives" that surround us. Here's a glimpse of our memorable day.
For Christmas some families have the tradition of going out to buy the tree together. Jordan and I decided to start a new tradition - going out to buy the turkey together. This wasn't as easy as it sounds. We went to the city's bird market, found the only turkey among a million other birds, bargained for 40 minutes, and finally walked away with the gobbler.
Here is our fine-looking gobbler the night before Thanksgiving...
'Twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through the coop,
the turkey was gobbling so afraid that it pooped.
The butcher knife was hung on the post with great care,
knowing tomorrow turkey meat we will share...'
Our Thanksgiving dinner received a great boost from Jordan's mom who sent a care package ("long distance hug," as I like to call them) filled with ready-mix boxes of stuffing, pie crust, and pie filling. This, however, did not assure success for two bachelors with no cooking experience. We still had to do the hard things like add eggs, butter, and milk and mix it together.
Cooking utensils were hard to come by, so substitutes had to do. A rolling pin was replaced by a round glass with a little extra flour on it.
The Pilgrim and Indian worked together cooking throughout the afternoon, starting at 1pm and finishing by around 6pm.
A metal box over a burner substituted as our oven. Preheating to 350F was a little tricky. The turkey didn't fit, so we helped make it fit with a knife.
The absence of a can-opener required us to resort to primitive tools (just like the original Pilgrims) to open up our cranberry sauce.
The final spray of food. For the most part it was traditional foods - stuffing, turkey, cranberry sauce, bread rolls, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, mashed potatoes (not pictured) and gravy. But a few elements of Indonesia snuck their way into our meal, including the red fruit "rambutan" as well as a hot chili sauce called "sambal" (in the middle).
Just like the original Pilgrims, we celebrated our Thanksgiving with the natives.
...but some of the natives didn't like our food, choosing instead to eat a plate full of rice, a little bit of turkey, and some chili sauce to top it off. I didn't complain. It meant more food for me!
Instead of sitting around a table, we ate Indonesian-style, sitting on mats on the floor. I tend to like this idea, because after stuffing yourself with delicious food, you don't even have to get out of your chair to sprawl out and take your nap!
Most of the Indonesians enjoyed these new foods, as evidenced by the empty bowls and bulging stomachs.
After eating, Pilgrims and Indians alike posed for a few good pictures. That's why we have pictures in books right? All in all we had a great time. Jordan and I have been warmly received by our native hosts, and are more than thankful for the ways they have helped us. Eating Thanksgiving dinner together was our little way to say thanks to them and to God who has blessed us richly!
For Christmas some families have the tradition of going out to buy the tree together. Jordan and I decided to start a new tradition - going out to buy the turkey together. This wasn't as easy as it sounds. We went to the city's bird market, found the only turkey among a million other birds, bargained for 40 minutes, and finally walked away with the gobbler.
Here is our fine-looking gobbler the night before Thanksgiving...'Twas the night before Thanksgiving and all through the coop,
the turkey was gobbling so afraid that it pooped.
The butcher knife was hung on the post with great care,
knowing tomorrow turkey meat we will share...'
Our Thanksgiving dinner received a great boost from Jordan's mom who sent a care package ("long distance hug," as I like to call them) filled with ready-mix boxes of stuffing, pie crust, and pie filling. This, however, did not assure success for two bachelors with no cooking experience. We still had to do the hard things like add eggs, butter, and milk and mix it together.
Cooking utensils were hard to come by, so substitutes had to do. A rolling pin was replaced by a round glass with a little extra flour on it.
The Pilgrim and Indian worked together cooking throughout the afternoon, starting at 1pm and finishing by around 6pm.
A metal box over a burner substituted as our oven. Preheating to 350F was a little tricky. The turkey didn't fit, so we helped make it fit with a knife.
The absence of a can-opener required us to resort to primitive tools (just like the original Pilgrims) to open up our cranberry sauce.
The final spray of food. For the most part it was traditional foods - stuffing, turkey, cranberry sauce, bread rolls, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, mashed potatoes (not pictured) and gravy. But a few elements of Indonesia snuck their way into our meal, including the red fruit "rambutan" as well as a hot chili sauce called "sambal" (in the middle).
Just like the original Pilgrims, we celebrated our Thanksgiving with the natives.
...but some of the natives didn't like our food, choosing instead to eat a plate full of rice, a little bit of turkey, and some chili sauce to top it off. I didn't complain. It meant more food for me!
Instead of sitting around a table, we ate Indonesian-style, sitting on mats on the floor. I tend to like this idea, because after stuffing yourself with delicious food, you don't even have to get out of your chair to sprawl out and take your nap!
Most of the Indonesians enjoyed these new foods, as evidenced by the empty bowls and bulging stomachs.
After eating, Pilgrims and Indians alike posed for a few good pictures. That's why we have pictures in books right? All in all we had a great time. Jordan and I have been warmly received by our native hosts, and are more than thankful for the ways they have helped us. Eating Thanksgiving dinner together was our little way to say thanks to them and to God who has blessed us richly!