We didn't have Thanksgiving in Spain when I was growing up, I had a vague idea that it had to do with Indians and I thought Cowboys (actually were Pilgrims). And turkeys.
My first Thanksgiving was spent with Marv's family. I was really looking forward to it, but I must say I was underwhelmed. His family is very nice and quiet. But they are not party people. I was used to many get together with my family, and everybody laughed and ate and drank and talked and it was very festive.
We sat down at the table like at noon, Marv and me, his parents, his brother and sisters, his grandfather and his 3 unmarried uncles. Marv's father said a blessing and all the food was already on the table: huge turkey, dressing, cranberries, rolls, gravy, potatoes, a couple different kinds of salads, and on the sideboard, different kinds of pies.
There was not a lot of talk, just pass the potatoes, who wants more turkey etc. Nobody really talked to me, but I did talk to them although I don't think they really understood my accent, so I felt a little lonely. The fact that the only thing to drink was Cool Aid and/or milk, didn't help.
Then like magic, all the males left the table and went to the living room to watch football, I followed them to be with Marv but he told me to go back to the kitchen and help out. His mother and sisters had done all the cooking and now they were doing all the cleaning, I was not a lot of help, I didn't know where things went and it felt very much like I was in the way, so after a while I just went back with the men.
I didn't care much for turkey -still don 't- dressing, gravy, cranberries were new to me and I didn't much like it. I liked the chocolate pie, but not the pumpkin pie -I still don't- and something called mincemeat?! I still am not sure what's in it.
I don't remember a lot about other Thanksgivings. I know the next year I invited his parents and grandfather over at our home, I made Catalan soup and stuffed chicken and it was not a very successful dinner, the only person that seemed to enjoy it and asked me about the food I prepared was his grandpa -my favorite person in the family, I loved that man-.
When the girls were young I am pretty sure we went to the grandparents on that day. When the girls were older, we had some strange Thanksgivings, I remember the day we were looking for a Restaurant and everything was closed and we ended up with Chinese food.
When the girls gre up and had their own families, we spend some Thanksgiving at Sandy's and they came down a few times (I sometimes thought it was not fair that some years they spent both Thanksgiving and Christmas with Marty's parents, but that's what happens when you live a few states away). Lizzie comes every Thanksgiving when we are by ourselves :) , although I remember going to San Diego once to a Restaurant. A couple of times we asked Norbert to spend Thanksgiving with us too.
This year Lizzie is coming and it'll be just the 3 of us, and we're going to have a non traditional dinner as we usually have. And Cava!!!
By the way, I give thanks every day for the big and little things in my life.
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