I’ve had the good fortune to study and work with people from all over the world in my thirty-seven years on this earth. Along the way, I’ve been delighted to learn about other cultures and the foods, drinks, holidays, and customs that make them unique. And, of course, I’ve explained more than a few American customs to my foreign friends.
Chief among these is Thanksgiving, a uniquely United States of American holiday that, I explain, involves cooking for roughly five days in order to yield a selection of no fewer than forty-five individual dishes come the fourth Thursday in November. On the Big Day, the whole family gathers around the table to consume as much food as is humanly possible in half an hour before retiring to the den and falling asleep in front of the TV while watching American football. Stretchy pants are essential.
And then there are the leftovers. Any other day of the year, preparing a 6-inch tall sandwich of roast turkey, cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce, and green bean casserole for breakfast might seem obscene. But on the day after Thanksgiving, it’s virtually one’s patriotic duty.