This was one of the greatest Thanksgivings I have had. It was my first Thanksgiving actually preparing the meal – so I’ll start with a very big thank you to my mom and every aunt, uncle and cousin who has fed me during the holidays. Lot of work! The cooking adventure started the night before as I went on a dessert spree – yes, Betty freakin’ Crocker!! Really – I made pumpkin pie from a pumpkin, which I have never done, apple crisp, brownies, and coconut (creamless) pie – all in a gas oven the size of a medicine cabinet with no temperature settings. The crisp went in first at 8:00 pm and I started waiting for the sweet smell of cinnamon and apples… but nothing. It ran out of propane. Beate was helping me steam pumpkin, so she was able to talk to the gas guys (she speaks the language) and order a new tank before she left. It was great – like ordering pizza. 20 minutes later, two teenage guys showed up on a moto with a giant tank of propane.. first the wrong size, so a return trip.. and I was back in business. Hilarious.
The next morning I met Sok Ly, our school cook, and she took me to the local market. We weaved through bowls of fish and baskets of vegetables to get our20 kilos of potatoes and bags of onions, green beans, fresh corn, and salad building materials. We loaded everything onto her moto, swung by a bakery for day-old bread pieces, then made the first drop. Sok Ly helped me wash the vegetables, then quickly grew uncomfortable with the fact that we couldn’t communicate, so called the school for back-up help and translation. Within minutes, three tenth grade girls showed up at the door with plastic bowls and smiles. I explained what “playing hookie” meant,our vocabulary lesson for the day, then put them to work peeling potatoes. They were so excited to get out of school and really enjoyed talking in the kitchen – I LOVED that they were there. They were interested in learning about all of the foods – they didn’t understand stuffing at all, but loved it. While it was cooking, one of the girls totally caught me off guard - she leaned over the pot, took a deep breath, and said, “It just smells so damn good!” I died laughing, then had to return to teacher mode and explain that though she used “damn” in the right context (well done) it was not a great word for her to be using.
The teachers and some of their kids showed up in fleet of motorcycles when school finished that evening, and after a quick run to the corner vendor for seven chickens, dinner was served. The women came in the house and stormed the kitchen, helping with last minute prep, and the men asked if they could start drinking beer. The women quickly dismantled the chickens and rearranged the parts on the plates, propping the heads up in the middle. A new kind of "turkey" presentation, but beautiful. Beate left her husband to work and joined the feast as well, so everyone in my Cambodian family was present. I introduced the meal of mashed taters, stuffing, cranberry, green bean casserole and salad, and explained that the bird we eat is usually much bigger, but nothing in Cambodia is big. They had never eaten any of the foods before, but loved them – especially the desserts. We also roasted corn on the grill, which was awesome, but standard cuisine here. Only one person asked if there was rice, so I considered it a success, though I still have mashed potatoes coming out my ears. It was so fun – we ate on the outside entry on mats, and a couple people embraced the idea of sharing what they were thankful for. It was a special night – I was happy to have everyone come to the house and spend time together.. eating... more/again.
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