Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is an American holiday involving excessive consumption of food with family and friends, giving thanks, and reflective recriminations about the poor treatment of the Native Amercans. The event was reestablished by Lincoln to commemorate and thank the contribution of the Native Americans to the early pilgrims. Nowadays at least, it is recalled with post-colonial guilt that this was repayed with mass slaughter and land confiscation. For a Kiwi it feels like Christmas and Waitangi Day in New Zealand rolled into one, minus the presents.

I had thanksgiving dinner at the cabin of my friend Adam. Further to traditional Turkey, cranberry sauce, beans, sweet potatoes and stuffing, we had salmon quiche, salads, and even rice and dahl provided by some Indian (as in Hyderabad) friends. With 3 Indians, a German, a Canadian and me out of 11 it was a pretty diverse bunch, and a very enjoyable evening. Adam's big atlas provided the starting point for lots of conversation.

From the left, here are Holly, Jay, Lisa (from Alaska), Adam and Praveen.

And here from the left are Frank and Lalida, Rakesh, and Bridge. The red tanks bottom left are for water not fuel!

Adam and Frank (see Interior Ice blog) are good friends I met at the climbing wall. This Thursday we ate, drank and talked nonsense; as opposed to most Thursdays when we go to the climbing wall, and lay about on the mats talking nonsense. Somehow Adam's girlfriend Elena eluded the camera. Praveen, Rakesh and Bridge are classmates of her. The university is such a small place though - I knew Praveen and Bridge from playing indoor cricket with the Indian engineering contingent at the UAF Student Recreation Center.

Freed somewhat from the Native American question as a foreigner, I like thanksgiving: its a chance to get together, reflect on and acknowledge who and what you are thankful for in your life, and to eat good food with your friends.