Things to be Thankfull for on the Border

When you have Thanksgiving dinner, birds die.
--

We mentioned Thanksgiving in passing because we all wished we could be at home. There is no turkey here, or cranberry sauce, no pumpkin pie or giant parade, and not a sign of paper hand-turkeys, buckles or feathers.

But our colleagues were intrigued. 'Why? What is this holiday? It is not religious?' For the first time, perhaps ever, I had to explain what exactly Thanksgiving was. There a lot of back story for such a simple day... these questions leaving me struggling to reconcile theft with giving and genocide with thanks.

Being away from home on this holiday stripped away all those familiar things - no question of commercialism, or animal rights, or which relatives to invite so we can have a peaceful dinner where we all get along, or "will this person actually pass the potatoes when I ask?"

Here, this year, we got to have our holiday thrown back at us. It took only a few short discussions before everyone was de facto invited, and serious thought was being put to what would most closely approximate Thanksgiving diner.

And amazingly, in less then a day, from only wishful musings, sprung two ducks, killed, plucked, and chopped in to pieces for a duck curry; pumpkin curry; papaya salad; one or two local Mon dishes; an apple pie; some other type of cake/pie; and the crowning achievement: a chicken, stuff with carrots, spring onions, spices - baked in a tiny oven - and served on a garnished bed of salad, tomatoes, and a gravy-esque sauce (the chef crediting an instructional YouTube video).

When you're this far from home, some bonus has to be given for a holiday so close to what you've wanted. We didn't think it was possible, and for that reason its one of the best Thanksgiving's I've had - not of course in anyway that would surmount the days when one does have family and familiar things - but at its heart, as a time when people are lucky to have each others company, regardless of their differences.


Some photos of the dinner: **all these ones in color are by Aumeon**