Ziua Recunostintei/ Thanksgiving

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Cand am plecat din Romania cred ca am realizat (mai mult sau mai putin) ceea ce las in urma si de ce o sa imi fie dor: de familie, de prieteni, sarbatorile romanesti, gradina mamei si puii crescuti in curte. Nici un pui organic nu se compara cu puii crescuti de mama...

Ceea ce nu am realizat, si nici nu cred ca m-am gandit prea mult atunci cand am venit aici a fost cum o sa ma adaptez la sarbatorile si traditiile americane. A fost grea adaptarea, dar am ales sa respect tara si oamenii printre care traiesc, si traditiile lor. Incepand cu Super Bowl (de care sincer nu prea imi pasa, prefer sa ma uit la show-ul Iron Chef si sotul se duce cu baietii), continuand cu Ziua Mamei, cand o sun pe mama sa ii spun "La multi ani!" (la fel cum fac si de 8 Martie) si ziua tatalui, cand ii spun lui tata "La multi ani!". Am purtat si tricou cu echipa de hockey Hawks atunci cand au fost in finala, si am strigat si m-am bucurat cand au castigat (in mare parte ca puteam in sfarsit sa merg acasa :) dar si pentru ca toata lumea in jurul meu era fericita). La nunta noastra am pastrat traditii romanesti si americane in acelasi timp. Dar cea mai mare sarbatoare pe care am adoptat-o, desi pentru mine poate nu inseamna asa de mult ca pentru americani, este Ziua Recunostintei.

Prima zi a Recunostintei (sau prima masa) s-a tinut acum vreo 400 de ani si la ea au luat parte indienii bastinasi si pilgrimsii veniti cu corabiile, sau primii imigranti. A fost o sarbatoare a recoltei, la care nici nu s-a mancat curcan, ci caprioara, porumb si legume. Mai tarziu a fost stabilita a 3-a joi din noiembrie si declarata zi nationala, cand familiile se aduna si mananca impreuna curcan, umplutura, piure de cartofi, cartofi dulci, sos de merisoare si placinta de dovleac sau mere, si multumesc lui Dumnezeu pentru ceea ce au.

Pentru mine Ziua Recunostintei inseamna acea masa a celor care sunt aici de mai mult timp si a imigrantilor, zi in care stam cu toti la masa si suntem recunoscatori pentru ceea ce avem.

Si sunt recunoscatoare, pentru ca am o noua mica familie, suntem sanatosi, avem acoperis deasupra capului si mancare de pus pe masa, si chiar daca sunt departe, putem tine legatura usor cu familia din Romania. Sunt recunoscatoare pentru prietenii pe care ii am si care sunt alaturi de mine atunci cand am nevoie de ei. Prieteni pe care ii vad mai des, sau care nu i-am vazut de ani, dar stiu ca pot conta pe ei, si altii "virtuali" pe care nu i-am vazut niciodata, dar m-au votat atunci cand am avut nevoie :)

Chiar daca sarbatoriti sau nu aceasta zi a recunostintei, voi pentru ce sunteti recunoscatori?

Va urez sa aveti o zi linistita, imbelsugata si alaturi de familie.



Si ca sa trecem la mancare, va pot spune ce este in plan, sa speram ca totul o sa iasa bine si revin cu poze: salata cu spanac, rucola, feta, merisoare si nuci, pui la cuptor (in loc de curcan, pentru ca era prea mare pentru 4-5 persoane), piure de cartofi, sos de visine (in loc de sos de merisoare), umplutura cu praz si ciuperci (prima data cand fac, tineti-mi pumnii :)), iar pentru desert Adriana face un tort cu mere.


When I left Romania to move in America, I knew (more or less) what I’m going to miss: my family, my friends, Romanian holydays, my mom’s garden and chickens. The organic chickens don’t even get close in taste with mom’s chickens…

What I didn’t know, and I don’t think I even gave a lot a thought, was how I’m going to adapt at American holydays and traditions. The transition was tough, but I chose to respect the people and the country that I live in, and their traditions. Starting with the Super Bowl (I don’t really watch, I prefer to watch Iron Chef, and let my husband go with the guys), and continuing with Mothers Day when I call my mom (the same I do on March 8th when Romania celebrates Woman’s Day), and Father’s Day when I call my dad. I wore a Blackhawks t-shirt when the team was in the playoffs of Stanley’s Cup, and I cheered up when they won (mostly because I got to get home, but the happiness on the people’s faces made me happy too). At our wedding I kept Romanian and American traditions. But, maybe the biggest holyday that I adopted is Thanksgiving (even if it doesn’t mean as much for me as it means for an American).

The first Thanksgiving Day (or first meal) it was about 400 years ago, and at it participated the native Indians and the pilgrims (the first immigrants). It was more a harvest celebration, and they didn’t have turkey, but venison, corn and vegetables. Much later it was declared national holyday for the third Thursday of November, and families get together and eat a feast with roast turkey, stuffing, mash potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberries sauce and apple or pumpkin pie, and they are thankful to God for what they have.

For me, Thanksgiving means that meal that brings together the ones that were already here and the newcomers.

And I’m thankful for my little new family, because we’re healthy, we have shelter and food, and even if my family in Romania is far, we can keep in touch easily. I’m thankful for my friends, and I can count on them. Friends that I see more often, friends that I haven’t seen in years, but I know they are there for me, and “virtual friends” that I never seen, but they voted for me when I asked them too.

Either if you celebrate Thanksgiving or not, what are you thankful for?



And let me tell you about our Thanksgiving menu (let’s hope everything turns out ok): arugula and spinach salad with dried cranberries, pecans and feta, roasted chicken (a turkey is too much for 4-5 people), mashed potatoes, sour cherry sauce (instead of cranberries), leeks and mushrooms stuffing (first time I make it), and for dessert Adriana will make an apple cake.

Happy Turkey Day!