A Thanksgiving surprise

November 26, 2009 - 4:43 PM by David

turkeyYou wouldn’t know it by any outside trappings, but for many Israelis of American descent – and for US travellers and tourists finding themselves here today – it’s still Thanksgiving.

Over the years I’ve been here, it’s become more commonplace for Thanksgiving get togethers to take place – mainly to eat the holiday delicacies that we all grew up with, the turkey, yams, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pies, etc..

When we first started our Israeli Thanksgiving traditional meal more than 20 years ago, it was a hit or miss gamble whether you can even find a turkey. The butchers at the supermarket meat counters were stumped when we asked for a ‘whole turkey’ as if it was impossible to find – which it apparently was, even though turkey is one of the most commonly eaten food products in the country.

It’s become easier to order a turkey, but you never know what you’re going to get. This year, we had to cancel our traditional meal with a few families because of parent-teacher meetings and work obligations. But because this is our daughter’s final Shabbat at home before joining the army for three years and because our older daughter and her boyfriend is coming for the weekend for a farewell party, we decided to get a turkey for Shabbat.

My wife went in to order it on Monday, and the meat counter guy said he wasn’t sure it was possible, and to come back on Tuesday. On Tuesday he said he could order the bird, and my wife told him not to make it too big. He said it was impossible to tell what would arrive and we would have to just take what came.

I’m going to pick up the big guy in a few minutes – can’t wait to see what it looks like. In the meantime, we’ll join our fellow Americans in Israel in giving thanks – for our families, our health, and our two countries we call home.

Tags: , , • Category: A New Reality, Food, General, History and Culture, Holidays 

Comments

2 Comments on A Thanksgiving surprise

  1. Jessica on Sun, Nov 29th 2009 10:47 AM

    2. We had our biggest turkey ever this year….12 kilo, appx 25 pounds! It just fit in our (American) oven.

  2. Betsy Diamant-Cohen on Wed, Dec 2nd 2009 10:33 PM

    3. I fondly remember our Thanksgivings together. Even though we are currently in the US, nothing beats those early potluck get togethers for Thanksgiving!

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