Surprising enough, you can most of the things you need to make a Thanksgiving reminiscent of home. There are a couple stores in town that cater to ex-pats who are craving a plateful of turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing. I chose to do my shopping at the store called Thanksgiving, appropriately enough.

When I walked in the store, I was all agog at the American products lining the shelves: pop tarts in many flavors, real brown sugar, cake mixes, Crisco, canned pumpkin, refried beans, the list goes on and on. All of a sudden I felt a rush of excitement – and homesickness. I can’t believe how glimpsing Goldfish crackers or Kraft macaroni and cheese makes me a little misty.

Quickly forgetting my purpose of shopping for Thanksgiving items, I fill my basket with some pop tarts, Reese’s Pieces, tortillas and salsa. I have a thing for Pace salsa, so I didn’t even blink an eye when I realized the price was over $10 for a single jar. Yes, it’s expensive, but if my compatriots are like me, they’re willing to shell out the dough for a taste of home.

When I compare the American products with those in French stores, I see one glaring difference. You won’t usually find things like artificial flavors, artificial colors, fillers, extra fat, and extra sugar in French products. Yes, they have a few, but it pales compared to the US. It’s actually sad when I think about it. Here I am living in the land of fresh – fruit, vegetables, meats, cheeses – and I’m buying pop tarts. I don’t really even like them. But perhaps it’s the memories that make my mouth water rather than the flavor.

Finally on task again, I find the items I need – canned pumpkin, condensed milk, brown sugar, a couple yams, fresh cranberries, and (sacrilege) Stovetop Stuffing. Okay, I know Stovetop is just plain wrong, but I don’t have a whole lot of time and since I’m the only one cooking, I’m going to skip a few things.

At the counter, I order a 6-pound turkey so I can pick it up in a few days. It costs around $50 – for 6 pounds – but I don’t care. It’s worth every Euro. Only a few more items are needed, and I’ll be ready for the Big Day.

The Big Day doesn’t actually take place on the big day. Since most people are working Thursday and Friday, we opt to have the dinner Friday night at 8:00 PM. I’ll have the entire day to prepare.

On the menu, we have herb roasted turkey, green beans with roasted fennel and shallots, yams with and coriander butter, orange cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Well, it’s not actually pumpkin pie, more of a pumpkin tart. The French don’t use pie plates, so I had to make the “pie” in a tart ring. It’s certainly not as nice as the real thing, but it will do. At least the whip cream will be real!

The night before, I rise and dry the turkey. I just found out the building water will be shut off the Big Day, so I better do as much as I can beforehand. This is unlike any turkey I’ve ever seen. First of all, it was alive the day before. I don’t think I’ve ever had a turkey so fresh. Second, it’s covered in blood. Not to be disgusting, but the French think this is a good sign. It means the turkey is very fresh, and a simple rinse gets rid of any trace. I’m used to it by now.

Three, there are still feathers. I can’t imagine EVER finding any sort of feathers on an American turkey. Instead, they’re usually a nice institutional, sterilized white. The idea of hygiene in France is a whole different story. Four, the breast is of average size. These turkeys haven’t been bread to make a top-heavy bird. Instead, the turkey is nicely proportioned – as it should be in my mind.

Once clean, I’m quite fond of my bird. He or she will get a nice herb butter under the skin and a great massage with softened butter just before the oven. I can’t wait to take my first bite. Here's a little video of my prep work:



Since I’m trying to be as authentic as possible, I set the table. The white, slightly dingy, round table fits in my room nicely if I push my bed aside. Since we don’t have a tablecloth, I place a fresh Cordon Bleu hand towel in the middle. I set a vase of orange and yellow parrot tulips in the center surrounded by some winter fruits and candles. I forgot to buy napkins, so we’re settling for white paper towels. When they’re accompanied by silverware and clean white plates, no one will notice. I break out the new champagne glasses I just bought, and the table is ready. The effect is rather nice.

My three guests will be arriving in1 ½ hours. I’ve still got plenty of time. We’ll begin with a nicely chilled bottle of Moet and Chandon Vintage 1999 that my mom bought me for my birthday.

Happy Thanksgiving from Paris!

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