Thanksgiving doesn’t exist in Italy and maybe because of the already daily emphasis on food and family, they don’t really get the point. I miss it, and this year I’m celebrating with various book events, including one dinner where I get to cook for 30 people! Problem: where to find all those important Thanksgiving ingredients? I did some scouting and came across cranberry sauce and pumpkins- essentials yes, but the fare stopped there. No need to panic, however, for:
I received the best care-package of my life yesterday.
Fortunately, I planned well-enough in advance to request some of those indispensable and unavailable-in-Italy Thanksgiving supplies. My parents put together an adorable and heart warming package of goodies that was a joy to receive and contained all the essentials to recreate a Texas Thanksgiving in Milan.
The Inventory:
- 4 bags Texas pecans (for stuffing and other treats)
- 2 bags dried cranberries
- 1 bag brown sugar (essential)
- 1 bottle Chipotle Tabasco Sauce
- 1 can Chipotle peppers
- 1 box graham crackers (for pie crusts)
- 1 shaker of Allspice
- 1 can condensed milk
It was better than Christmas, everything we pulled out of the box was accompanied by squeals of delight: “Oh! Oh look! BROWN SUGAR!!… and what’s this? Woooowwww!!! ALLSPICE!” It was a dream come true, the promise that Thanksgiving could and would happen for me this year. I would like to start off the season by officially giving thanks for my parents, for understanding my spirit, and sending me Thanksgiving in a box.
Native Americans tell of the first Thanksgiving, how the boat people came and did not know how to feed themselves, and were stealing food from their village. Their woman gathered together food of all kinds in cornicopia baskets, which are made in the spiral shape of the universe, and took them to the “Pilgrims” to save their lives. Their message was that when people share and have gratitude , there is always plenty. Something was lost in the translation. The Pilgrims thought this was an annual festival of Thanksgiving. For the Natives, this was just the way they lived their lives, every day. It is good to remember the event as told by those that threw the party.