Thanksgiving was always one of my favorite holidays growing up. We would drive over the river and through the woods to my grandparents' house in Mississippi, arriving just in time for the huge lunchtime Thanksgiving dinner. Then the grown-ups would clean up, watch TV, or fall asleep while the five of us cousins would venture outside in the crisp November air to explore Granddaddy's vegetable garden, the pond, and the fields out back, where the pecan trees were full of nuts and the herd of Holsteins roamed a pasture of long, coarse, brown grass. Midafternoon, when everyone had recovered just enough appetite to manage a piece of pecan pie, one of the mothers would call us inside for dessert, and then we'd settle down in front of the fireplace to play Monopoly for the rest of the day.
Thanksgiving as a grown-up in Tokyo is a bit different, but still one of my favorite holidays. There are no late-autumn fields around here, but the ginkgo trees and Japanese maples are starting to change color in the nearby park. And I'm extraordinarily lucky to have family in Tokyo, which means these days I get to celebrate Thanksgiving with my other grandparents and another set of cousins. They always invite a big group of interesting people to their dinner, and it's always a wonderful evening of delicious food and great company.
One thing I particularly appreciate is that I'm not the only non-turkey-eater at this table - there were four of us, which certainly justified having a Thanksgiving salmon on the table in addition to the turkey. There was even vegetarian stuffing, made of white bread with olives and artichoke hearts. The green beans, adorned with slivered shiitake mushrooms and sauteed red onion, were an elegant variation on the classic casserole. There was a spicy carrot ring, somewhat like carrot cake but more dense and less sweet; an eggy corn casserole that my grandfather makes for every special occasion; a beautiful salad full of colored peppers and avocado; and of course the turkey and gravy.
But dessert is always the best part. At the top of this post is the photo of all that remained of the pumpkin chiffon pie after dinner - it's so light and creamy that even those who, unlike me, aren't diehard pumpkin fans love it, and the ginger cookie crust is so good that my cousins were picking up crumbs from the table the rest of the night. There was also a delicious apple tart that I didn't get to photograph. And the most beautiful dessert of the evening was certainly the cranberry upside down cake - a rich shortbready cake topped with sour, ruby red berries. After the table was cleared, we all sat there talking and laughing for another couple of hours, until we finally were able to stand up and move around a little. It was a wonderful celebration, and being able to celebrate my favorite American holiday so festively even here in Tokyo surrounded by family and friends is certainly something to be thankful for.
Thanksgiving was always one of my favorite holidays growing up. We would drive over the river and through the woods to my grandparents' house in Mississippi, arriving just in time for the huge lunchtime Thanksgiving dinner. Then the grown-ups would clean up, watch TV, or fall asleep while the five of us cousins would venture outside in the crisp November air to explore Granddaddy's vegetable garden, the pond, and the fields out back, where the pecan trees were full of nuts and the herd of Holsteins roamed a pasture of long, coarse, brown grass. Midafternoon, when everyone had recovered just enough appetite to manage a piece of pecan pie, one of the mothers would call us inside for dessert, and then we'd settle down in front of the fireplace to play Monopoly for the rest of the day.
Thanksgiving as a grown-up in Tokyo is a bit different, but still one of my favorite holidays. There are no late-autumn fields around here, but the ginkgo trees and Japanese maples are starting to change color in the nearby park. And I'm extraordinarily lucky to have family in Tokyo, which means these days I get to celebrate Thanksgiving with my other grandparents and another set of cousins. They always invite a big group of interesting people to their dinner, and it's always a wonderful evening of delicious food and great company.
One thing I particularly appreciate is that I'm not the only non-turkey-eater at this table - there were four of us, which certainly justified having a Thanksgiving salmon on the table in addition to the turkey. There was even vegetarian stuffing, made of white bread with olives and artichoke hearts. The green beans, adorned with slivered shiitake mushrooms and sauteed red onion, were an elegant variation on the classic casserole. There was a spicy carrot ring, somewhat like carrot cake but more dense and less sweet; an eggy corn casserole that my grandfather makes for every special occasion; a beautiful salad full of colored peppers and avocado; and of course the turkey and gravy.
But dessert is always the best part. At the top of this post is the photo of all that remained of the pumpkin chiffon pie after dinner - it's so light and creamy that even those who, unlike me, aren't diehard pumpkin fans love it, and the ginger cookie crust is so good that my cousins were picking up crumbs from the table the rest of the night. There was also a delicious apple tart that I didn't get to photograph. And the most beautiful dessert of the evening was certainly the cranberry upside down cake - a rich shortbready cake topped with sour, ruby red berries. After the table was cleared, we all sat there talking and laughing for another couple of hours, until we finally were able to stand up and move around a little. It was a wonderful celebration, and being able to celebrate my favorite American holiday so festively even here in Tokyo surrounded by family and friends is certainly something to be thankful for.
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