Thanksgiving in a Country with no Turkey and a Dorm with no Oven
Happy Thanksgiving from Amsterdam! I was getting really sad being so far from home on this holiday. The biggest struggle was coming up with a game plan on how to make (or where to go out for) Thanksgiving dinner. When I say there is no turkeys in the Netherlands, I am not kidding. On Thanksgiving the only way to get a turkey is to talk to a butcher and have them pick one specifically for your family size. This was way too extreme for me, so I moved onto the next option. Turkey burgers. Is it a surprise that the Netherlands doesn't have those either? Next option?! Any type of bird. Because we couldn't find a rotisserie chicken at any grocery store (c'mon Netherlands this is one situation where you can take advice from America), we picked one up from a butcher.
Step 1:
Frantically search to try and put something together that reminds us of a traditional Thanksgiving meal.
Step 2:
Settle for any type of bird, and pick up a rotisserie chicken from Slagerij Buhrs, a butcher shop with an abundance of chicken.
Step 3:
To make it feel like a home cooked meal, we made traditional holiday vegetables, green beans with almonds and onions. Of course we also made some cranberry sauce with orange juice, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Step 4:
DESSERT. We all know this is the most important part anyways. Since I still have no freezer or oven, the options were limited. We decided on doing a sweet potato dishwith brown sugar and marshmallow, and an apple with oats dish that tasted more like apple pie to me.
Step 5:
No thanksgiving dinner is complete without going around the table and explaining to your guests what you are thankful for. I am extremely thankful to be where I am today both physically and mentally. My past was a lot of heartache but its gotten me to the person I am today, and for that, I am thankful. Second, I am so thankful to have the opportunity to study abroad, specifically in Amsterdam. Amsterdam has truly felt like home and I will always have a deep love for this city.
There were many times throughout the day I was stressed at the thought of preparing all the food for my company but I realized I lost sight of the purpose of the Holiday. I needed to be thankful and not stressed. This is something I will work on for future holidays and when I travel.
