IL Postcard

Happy Thanksgiving from All of Us at International Living

Date: 11/27/2008 Author: Dan Prescher

Dear International Living Reader,

Thanksgiving is, at its heart, an expat holiday.

More than 300 years ago, a small group of English expats held a feast to celebrate their survival after several harsh winters in a strange new land.

They’d left England for various reasons, and they found themselves in a place with its own local population, its own set of rules, and its own challenges and hurdles.

Turns out that the locals they encountered were in large part responsible for the survival of that little group of expats. If it hadn’t been for the locals showing them the ropes in their adopted homeland, the pilgrims probably wouldn’t have made it.

Today expats all over the world are celebrating Thanksgiving in their own adopted homelands. And although most of us expats no longer have to worry about being killed by a harsh winter, we’re still learning the rules, overcoming the challenges, and getting to know the locals wherever we are.

Today Suzan and I will go to a friend’s house here in Mexico for Thanksgiving dinner, and we’ll celebrate the fact that we’ve survived our own move to distant shores. And we’ll be sharing our meal with local friends and eating local foods, just like the first pilgrims.

We all have a lot to be thankful for, expat or otherwise. As far as I’m concerned, if you’re alive and reading this, you should be hugely thankful…if only for the fact that you’re alive and can read. Those are two big blessings right there.

The rest is really icing on the cake.

Here at International Living, our icing is having the chance to talk to you every day about how to live a happier, healthier, fuller life without worrying so much about the money part. It’s something we take seriously, and we feel privileged that you’ve given us the opportunity to do it.

Here are a few notes some of our far-flung staff sent me this Thanksgiving

From Campcehe, Mexico:

I’m spending the day with English and U.S. friends here at my recently-restored colonial house in Campeche. We plan to prepare a Thanksgiving feast--or as close as we can manage in Campeche. Turkey is plentiful here, so the main course is a snap. We’re managing stuffing as well. Cranberry sauce has been more of a challenge. There are few expats here in Campeche, and an even smaller number who are U.S. expats, so there’s no demand for cranberry sauce! But I have a surprise for my dinner guests: Some Mexican friends gave me a lovely roll of homemade guava paste, which I plan to serve with cheese. Fruit pastes with cheese are one of my favorite combinations--and I’ll admit I’ve tried the guava paste already, purely in the interests of my guests, of course! Pumpkin is easy to find here, too, but I’ve decided to pass on the traditional pumpkin pie, as none of us actually likes it. Instead, we’ll have a Mexican tres leches cake.

Celebrating here in Mexico gives us the perfect opportunity to create new Thanksgiving traditions--and we’re all looking forward to our Mexican/American feast.

- Glynna Prentice, Your Mexico Insider.

From San Jose, Costa Rica:

Costa Rica is one of the few places in Latin America where you can celebrate Thanksgiving twice! It’s all a result of the large number of expats from both the U.S. and Canada. The first festivities took place a few weeks ago when Canadians celebrated their holiday on the second Monday in October. The main event--attended by many Americans --was at the Rock and Roll Pollo restaurant in Santa Ana.

Gringos, like me, will celebrate Thanksgiving at one of a dozen restaurants with turkey on the menu or at home with family and friends. The Sportsmens Lodge in San José is a popular hangout for U.S expats to gather for a meal of turkey with all the trimmings, plus dessert and wine. It’s a safe prediction that more than a few Canadians will also be on hand.

- Don Ediger, Costa Rica

From Paris, France:

No need to go without turkey if you spend Thanksgiving in France or even forego pumpkin pie if you’re living in Paris. The American community here has coped well with this homely holiday becoming something of a gourmet event, following hot on the heels of the release of Beaujolais Nouveau wine the previous week.

Farm-raised corn-fed turkey is in good supply, but you may not be able to find those giant birds to feed more than 10--this requires specialist sourcing, and an oven to match. In previous years, I’ve enjoyed Thanksgivings at American friends’ homes in Paris where the biggest problem seemed to be roasting the turkey--not all city kitchens have an oven large enough for the biggest fowl.

The smartest friends make their own trimmings, and ask the local butcher to roast the turkey for them--good butchers often have a rotisserie service. As most shops stay open till 7:30 or 8 p.m. this is just right for dinner. Increasingly, however, you can have the whole meal to take out or even delivered, ready cooked, to your door. I’ve seen ads for one store that promises to feed four for 88 euro. A store called Thanksgiving, in the Marais district can roast them for you and even supply the extras. And if you miss the deadline for ordering, you can always take the easy route and go out to any number of restaurants to have the full dinner served at your table. With no clearing up. If you’ve just moved here, you might want to check out the American Cathedral in the 7th arrondissement--there’s a service on today and a potluck dinner held on the weekend, November 29th.

- Leigh Fergus, Europe Editor.

From Cotacachi, Ecuador:

In 40 years of living, working and traveling abroad, Merri and I have had the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving in many countries, from Ecuador to England to Hong Kong. We especially enjoy this day because no one outside the U.S. recognizes our Thanksgiving as an official holiday. Since this is a family holiday and since everyone--globally--likes feasts, we find it easy and delightful to create a larger family and an opportunity to share a beautiful American tradition with other cultures.

Our family is so widespread--the five kids are in Oregon, Florida, England, and Swaziland--we rarely all unite for Thanksgiving. Instead we often use the day to invite friends, wherever we are, to share our turkey, dressing, cranberries, and pumpkin pie (though there have been challenges finding the ingredients at times--one year in Gloucestershire, England we had to settle for making a yam pie as there were no pumpkins). Many from other nations have left our Thanksgiving table knowing the true heart of America better after sharing this traditional meal with us.

This is a wonderful...simple way to enjoy friends and expand goodwill worldwide for which we are truly thankful."

- Gary Scott.

From Panama City, Panama:

Thanksgiving is not an official Panamanian holiday but it is celebrated by some Panamanians…that’s probably because Panama has always had a heavy U.S. influence, dating back to the days when the U.S. military administrated the Panama Canal. Although my family doesn’t celebrate this holiday, this year I’ve been invited to the home of my friend Monica and her husband, Anibal.

You can tell that a good deal of expats and Panamanians must be celebrating because both El Rey and Riba Smith (two of Panama’s best supermarket chains) have turkeys on prominent display since the weekend.

The American Society held its annual Turkey Dinner over the weekend; the menu was traditional including roast turkey, stuffing, cranberry chutney, mashed potatoes, Waldorf salad, candied sweet potatoes, corn pudding, and pies: apple, pecan, pumpkin, cherry and blueberry...

One of my favorite hangouts, the Balboa Yacht Club (casual waterside spot with bar/barfood) is holding its annual Thanksgiving dinner today, with cocktails at 2 p.m. and traditional Thanksgiving meal at 3 p.m.

This is a great place full of locals and expats, outdoor seating, and low prices. It’s right on a popular drag called the Amador causeway, where you’ll see cyclists, joggers, families walking the dog or pushing strollers. The drag juts out into the Panama Canal waters and you can watch the cruise ships, large cargo liners, sailboats, and yachts motoring through.

My favorite time here is sunset when the waters seem to change from cobalt blue to periwinkle to deep midnight blue as the sun sets. What better way to celebrate Thanksgiving than with an open-air celebration overlooking the Panama Canal waters, with ships and sailboats passing by?

- Jessica Ramesch, Panama City, Panama

So from all of us at International Living, thank you, and have a wonderful Thanksgiving, wherever you are and whatever blessings you’re celebrating in your life.

Stay happy and healthy,

Dan Prescher
Publisher, International Living

P.S. As a thanksgiving gift to you we're giving away the most popular titles on our bookstore at a 25% discount. Some of them are selling fast and I don't know how much longer they'll be in stock so make sure to take a look and order right away.