Expat Americans and Canadians - Do you celebrate Thanksgiving? How?

In My Humble Opinion
1

Hi,

Feeling a little sorry for myself in rainy Sydney, and a bit homesick.

I stopped celebrating Thanksgiving because my Australian husband and friends are all a little amused by it, and it’s not that sort of holiday. My American son was too young when we left to really remember traditions or see it as important, and he just wants to fit in with his mates and not be different, so he’s not fussed about it. There’s a dinner at the American Expat’s club here, but I don’t…fit in…with those guys.

Plus (except for this year, brrr) it’s summer, so it doesn’t feel like Thanksgiving. Turkeys here are more like chickens with pretentions, and I can’t easily get most of the things I want to make the dinner I want, and anyway my friends and my husband don’t like a lot of the food. (I’m looking at you, candied yams.)

I come from a Southern family and I’ve lived all over the US, and when I first came here I did a big dinner, but I stopped bothering now. It felt weird to force my friends to act like they cared.

So, tell me American or a Canadian (I know it was last month) Dopers living abroad*, do you celebrate Thanksgiving? If not, why not? If so, what do you do? Do you incorporate any local traditions into your dinners? Do you do it on the Thursday or on the weekend? Do you get homesick around Thanksgiving? How do you get essential things like French Fried Onions or canned pumpkin? Do you force your foriegn friends to go? Do they act all amused about the whole thing?

No poll, just stories.

Also, I miss my mom. :frowning:

*Or you know if you used to live abroad or whatever.

2

Hugs to you, Gleena! It’s hard to be away from what you grew up with and value.

I’ve been in Germany for 15 years. In the first couple of years, we flew to America to be with my family at Thanksgiving, but it was a pain – my family is scattered all over and we ended up flying and driving all over and almost tearing out our hair in frustration and exhaustion by the end of our visits. It was especially difficult when our firstborn was a tiny guy. We decided that we wanted to stay home that next year, and I’ve been doing Thanksgiving dinner in Germany ever since.

We invite my husband’s family and have expanded the circle to include two familes of very close friends over the years. We’ve had as many as 26 for dinner, or as few as 19 (this year, actually).

I make everything from scratch. This was out of necessity, since you can’t find jarred turkey gravy or Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix or canned pumpkin, but I’ve found that everything just tastes so much better that it’s worth the effort to put something spectacular out for everyone. We order the turkey from our local gourmet shop several weeks in advance. I start shopping earlier in the week and start cooking and preparing two days before the big day.

Over the years, I’ve put together a repertoire of dishes that I generally stick with, since they’re tried-and-true and all something that we look forward to each time. I came across a gravy recipe and a salad with pomegranate seeds and feta right here on the Dope, and found others on epicurious.com.

Since the fourth Thursday in November isn’t a holiday in Germany (yet), we celebrate on a Saturday; usually the Saturday following the real day, but over the years, we’ve tended to celebrate earlier because of everyone’s increasingly busy schedules and to avoid clashing with the first Advent weekend. This year, Thanksgiving took place two weekends ago.

And everyone is pleased to be included and takes it quite seriously. Frankly, if it’s important to you, I think you should sit your husband down and explain to him why and that you would appreciate it if he would show you the respect of helping you to celebrate something that is an important part of your identity.

3

I grew up in the US, and now live in Canada. I no longer celebrate US Thanksgiving. Mostly now I mark the day be pointing out that I’m being forced to work on my homeland’s traditional ethnic holiday.

4

Here in Tokyo, my (Japanese) wife and I went to Lawry’s Prime Rib Restaurant last night. For Christmas, we have dinner together with her parents and her sister’s family. We make various Japanese and American dishes and always get a KFC Christmas Bucket (Flash Site). Her father loves KFC.

5

Saturday (note that Saturday isn’t Thursday) is the first time I celebrated Thanksgiving in a few years.

In 2011 (this year) I was at a steel supplier in Shanghai. When I returned to my living city, it was late and I went with my wife to a German restaurant straight from the train station. I only remembered that it was Thanksgiving because the Filipino band shouted it out.
In 2010, I was eating fish in Acapulco, which is close to where I was living in Mexico City.
In 2009, I was on a business trip in Cologne, Germany, but at least I got turkey-on-a-stick (not bad; I was having a lot of fun at the German Weinachtsmarkt near the Dom).
In 2008, I don’t have any photos to remind me what I was doing.
In 2007, it’s the last Thanksgiving I can remember. I had it at my house. I bought a live turkey.

This 2011 Thanksgiving was nice. All of us Americans met, brought our turkeys and accoutrements, and had a good time, even though it was Saturday.

6

This is our fourth Thanksgiving in Beijing, but the first time that we’ve really celebrated it. It was yesterday (Saturday) because everyone had to work on Thursday and Friday. We gathered with 2 other American families and packed our apartment.

We did traditional Midwestern fare. Pumpkin pie, apple pie, stuffing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberries from a can and of course turkey. The local import stores carry turkeys and bring out some seasonal items close to Thanksgiving (pumpkin, cranberries). However, ovens (real ones, not toaster overs) are very rare and expensive in China but we splurged and bought one 2 years ago. This summer we brought back 2 pie plates because even though you can find most anything in Beijing, you can’t find pie plates. Our meal was a mixture of homemade and instant dishes.

7

Bangkok is chockful of Thanksgiving options for hungry Americans. Our favorite is at the long-running Bourbon Street, owned and operated by a New Orleans native and offering such specialties as turkey gumbo and Georgia pecan pie in addition to all the regular fare. We didn’t go this year, as the wife and I are both trying to cut back on big meals, but a fellow American who just spent his first Thanksgiving here did attend at my recommendation and was mightily impressed.

8

Well, partly because of this thread we did do some traditional stuff. We listened to Alice’s Restaurant and watched an MST3K, then I made pumpkin pie. 'Course we had the pie with a different traditional meal: hamburgers and champagne.

9

Ex-pat American living in Canada. We do nothing for Canadian Thanksgiving (45 days before the American holiday) and didn’t used to do anything for the American holiday. About ten years ago, we started visiting my son in the US for Thanksgiving and celebrate the traditional turkey dinner there (here actually, since we are still).

10

And like so many other Chinese appliances, the ovens are undersized. The vast majority of my sheet pans don’t fit into my oven. My roasting pans don’t fit. I ended up cooking our turkey on a cooling rack in my small blue steel pizza pan. At the house where we took the turkey, they made their roaster fit into their oven by removing the handles.

One of these days I’ll figure out where to get the right connection for my barbecue grill to fit Chinese propane tanks. I think then I’ll have the largest oven in the city.

11

That’s so sad. I’ve never lived abroad, but I’ve always loved celebrating traditional meals, etc. with my friends who are from other cultures. I’m sorry your friends don’t want to celebrate with you.

12

Thanks for all the replies, it’s interesting to see what other expats do (or don’t do). Thanks for the sympathy as well, I was kinda feeling sorry for myself, hey?

I called my Mom, which helped, even though we don’t normally get along.

My friends are quite happy to eat pie and turkey with me, if I make it, but being Australian they also want to take the piss, which is fine, and I appreciate the fine art of taking the piss in a way I never would have living in the US. I guess I mean they were happy for the first few years, but there’s no equivalent holiday here, so the importance is kind of lost and now it’s just a party, which is not exactly what I want it to be.

I think it would be better in German or Japan or somewhere with more American expats. We’re kinda thin on the ground over here.

Next year I hope to be home for Thanksgiving with my very old Grandaddy!

13

Get your husband to take you on a Bangkok holiday come next Thanksgiving. You will be truly impressed with the spreads they put out here for Americans. He will be too, I guarantee it.

14

I’m an English person, living in Italy, working at an American school, so we get Thanksgiving off!
We used to go to a different America house each year for a Thanksgiving feast, but as the years go by I have been making Thanksgiving dinner at our house, where our Italian, English, Scottish and American friends get to together and enjoy the meal. We all like the idea of a day of thanksgiving, and the fact that it’s a holiday where you aren’t obligated to buy gifts, you are just together and pleased to be so (we’re a pretty drama free crowd!).

We’ve hijacked your holiday :slight_smile:

I order turkey from the butcher and get what I can fresh, Italians aren’t big into pre-prepared anything nearly all cooking is dine from scratch anyway. When I’m really stuck, for example for cranberry, I go to the international food shop but it’s very expensive!

15

All of my international friends bring their cultural feasts with them to the US (and their guests, local or from elsewhere in the world, all seem to enjoy them), so I can’t imagine why, if I were to move abroad, I wouldn’t bring my American cultural feast with me. Of course, they also all celebrate the American holidays, too: Any excuse for a party, after all.

16

When I lived abroad in Budapest from '98-'03, we would get together and have a Thanksgiving day feast with other expats and whoever wanted to join us. It was my favorite time of year–everybody had a great time. I would take care of most of the dinner, like the turkey, pie (made from fresh roasted pumpkin or butternut squash), potatoes, gravy, dressing, cranberry sauce, etc. Most years we would do it on Thursday, but we’ve also done it on the Saturday when schedules didn’t work out for everyone. I loved it so much that even when I moved back to the US, I went back in '04 and '05 during Thanksgiving just to celebrate out there.

Our first year there, it was rather amusing, as it was quite difficult to find a whole turkey at the market. While turkey was plentiful in Hungary, all the markets had them already broken down in pieces, and it didn’t occur to us to request ahead of time a whole turkey. Most of the vendors looked at us funny when we asked for an egész pulyka (whole turkey). So that first year, we only came back with a turkey breast. (Which turned out to be a good thing, as the oven at our friend’s house where we were celebrating barely fit the breast inside). Within a couple of years, though, I think the vendors must have caught on, as whole turkey became rather easy to find at the markets come come Thanksgiving time.

17

I live in the Uk and while American Thanksgiving is well catered for here, Canadian not so much. Many years I’ve forgotten and many years I’ve been unable to find a turkey at short notice. One year there was one sad little bird at the very bottom corner of the Waitrose freezer.

This year, although hubby doesn’t like turkey and Twin 1 is a vegetarian, Twin 2 was feeling nostalgic so I went on the hunt the morning of. Found a beautiful fresh organic turkey at the not-so-local butcher…score. Found some small pumpkins and interesting gourds for the holiday table and a feast was born. In the end it was nice to do something that made us think of home

18

We pick and chose our holidays. We always do Christmas, of course. We do the Chinese New Year and a Moon Viewing Night (whatever the actual name is).

We haven’t done Thanksgiving yet, but I want to in the future.

19

Are you really going to make each of Google “take the piss” to find out what it means?

Okay, found it: to mock.

I assumed they weren’t urinating, and then thought they must have been getting drunk and that was what was offending you. But it didn’t seem right. :smiley:

20

Oh man, this year I missed my family like you wouldn’t believe.

Last year I actually had my parents here with us, so that was nice. This year we had some friends over and had a big traditional dinner and lots of alcohol. Most years I get a turkey and stubbornly cook it with all the trimmings. I buy a pumpkin, since they don’t have canned pumpkin, and make fresh pies, every year. This is Thanksgiving number 5 as an expat!

Do I celebrate it - every year, whether anyone else wants to or not!

What do I do - traditional dinner. I take the day off work, too, which they are always very accommodating about. They’re always VERY respectful of my holiday, which is amusing and makes me happy.

Do I incorporate local traditions - yes, I adore Yorkshire puddings and baked veg, including parsnips and roast potatoes, mmm!

When do I do it - usually it’s that Thursday, this year it was the Saturday before, since everyone could make that day.

Do I get homesick - oh yes. I’m probably very difficult to deal with, since I am so homesick that nothing seems right on that day.

How do I get essential things - you can’t buy canned pumpkin or cranberries, so I make it both fresh. There aren’t any other essential things that I have any problems buying. The British public love their turkey dinners.

Do I force foreign friends to go - No forcing needed. I say that they can come, and they immediately get all excited, want to know what to expect, etc. It’s sweet.

Do they act amused - I imagine they might act amused if I put turkey decorations everywhere and forced them to say what they were thankful for, etc. But essentially it’s a huge roast dinner that you invite friends around to, so it’s really no big deal, and they don’t poke fun at all. They are a bit timid about trying deviled eggs, pumpkin pie, and other strange dishes, but most of them seem more than willing.

There you go…I enjoyed this year, maybe even more than last year. Sorry to hear yours wasn’t as pleasant.