Turkey day in a country where there is no turkey day

Word of the Post: Grazie (Thank you)

It seems the word of the post is only necessary since yesterday was Thanksgiving. This is the second year that I have been away for Thanksgiving. The last time I was away for Thanksgiving was my senior year of high school (which seems so long ago now) when I was playing at the National Field Hockey Festival in Florida--where Thanksgiving is of course celebrated. This year spending Thanksgiving away from home was different, because I am in a country where they barely know what Thanksgiving is. Heck, they didn't even know who was going to cook our turkey for us, because no one here knows how, and last night at the dinner, they didn't know how to cut it either! Oh well--it still tasted wonderful. All the food tasted wonderful actually, and if I want to use the word wonderful one more time, I could say that the whole night was wonderful.
We were treated to dinner on the roof of the Mariot hotel on Via Veneto--one of the most prestigious hotels and roads in all of Rome. One girls parents said "That is the street I had my honey moon on." The roof overlooked all of Rome, and dinner was held in the banquet hall leading out to the roof so that we could take a peak.
And of course there was the wonderful food that I already mentioned. Think Italian meets American. There was a whole arrangement of appetizers that ranged from spinach puffs to pizza. And then there were three main courses: Stuffed turkey with cranberry (so at least we would feel a little bit at home), Pasta with red sauce and cheese (because what is an Italian meal without pasta), and a PHENOMENAL entree of pumpkin risotto (at least we had pumpkin!). But the meal didn't stop there--we were also treated to an open bar of red wine, white wine and champagne. And following the entree, the center table was filled with dessert cakes including a fruit one, a coffeeish cake that you could drizzle your own chocolate sauce on, and a cream puff cake. It was one heck of a meal. Sure, I missed the green bean casserol topped with onion chips, the neverending bowl of stuffing, and the pumpkin pie from home--but I can't complain about the food set on our table. If Thanksgiving were a Roman Holiday--this was surely what a traditional Thanksgiving dinner would be.

In honor of Thanksgiving, I'll share some things that I am thankful for, starting with the most important (leaving out the clear obvious of family and friends) leading to the least:

1. In less than 55 days, we will have a new president.
2. The exchange rate falling for the Euro and the Dollar
3. My flat soled shoes that never get stuck in the cobblestone like my apartmentmates.
4. Gypsies who sell umbrellas when its pouring rain on you.
5. Open bars of wine at Thanksgiving dinners.
6. The International Food Store (for peanutbutter of course)
7. 1.5 Liter bottles of water
8. My awesome apartment in Italy
9. Drying racks for clothes (there are no dryers here) because when it pours rain like today, you have plenty of dry space for your wet clothes.
10. Bartenders who turn the top of my cappucino into a heart design.

Happy Thanksgiving