As Another Tradtional American Holiday Draws Near...

[chubbyalaskagriz]

My sister’s family has had a few foreign exchange students over the years and she often does volunteer work for the Rotary Club, who finds host-families for these kids. About 30 exchange students in this area are packing-up and readying for the return to their homelands next Sunday, and since the week will be big w/ festivities surrounding a traditional 4th of July Independence Day complete w/ parades, farm-town carnival fun, fair food, etc., today was the Farewell Potluck and community send-off for the kids.

The students were asked what type of meal they wished for this final feast and interestingly, hands-down every one of them voted unanimously for: “American Thanksgiving Dinner and Spaghetti & Meatballs”! How neat, huh? Ha!

So this afternoon as the VFW band played and Old Glory waved, the tables at the Legion-Hall were sagging under the weight of Thanksgiving bounty brought by the whole town (birds & hams provided by the Mennonite Hospital) everything was appropriately present: turkey, ham, cornbread/sage dressing, mashed potatoes & giblet gravy, candied sweet taters, green-bean casserole, corn-pudding, cranberry sauce, strawberry-pretzel Jell-O mold, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and our regional Mississippi-Mud Cake… oh- and let’s not forget- spaghetti & meatballs and garlic bread! It was a delicious meal and it was a beautiful sight to see various races and nationalities mingling with all the white-bread kids from our very homogenous rural area with bulging bellies, red marinara smears on their chins, gravy-drips on their shirts, and drumsticks in their fists! Fun was had by ALL!

My question: those who’ve lived or traveled abroad- what “American” foods have you craved during your absence from the good old U.S. of A.?

And Happy Independence Day, everyone!

 

[jglass]

That sounds like everyone had such a great time!

 

[Cook Chatty Cathy]

When I was still living with Mom & Dad we all traveled to Mexico City, I just missed FOOD, big generous helpings of food, hot fodd, nourishing food homecooked by Mom!!! The offerings we had available to us at restaurants in 1966 Mexico City were just little portions of poorly prepared food! I remember wondering how these poor Mexicans could live eating like that! And yet their street food looked so delicious, and the tacos and fruits looked great, our folks would not let us dare eat that, but that is what I wanted instead of some cold tasteless mashed potatoes and tiny ass cold hot-dogs that we got in the tourist trap restaurants. I remember one man asking my Dad if he wanted to buy a cold beer so we could watch him feed it to the donkey (a tourist trap we were at) and my Dad bless him said "Heck NO I want the cold beer for me if I buy it!" That's my Dad for ya'!

 

[KYHeirloomer]

Sounds like a wonderful send off for the exchange students, Kevin. In later years, that's what they'll think of, rather than the Ugly American.

Missed foods? Believe it or not, greasy cheeseburgers and fries.

We were in Swedish Lapland for three weeks once. And, like anywhere else, when they have guests they want to give them their best. "Best" up there is reindeer and salmon, and we must have had each prepared 30-40- different ways.

All good, to be sure. But after awhile you get a hankering.

So, the last few days of the trip we're in Stockholm, and go out to Scandia---which is the oldest living history museum in the world. And we watched them work on the then newly raised wooden warship that sunk when it was launched in the 1600s.

On the way back to the ferry landing, lo and behold: A hamburger joint. Who'd a thunk it! Thought I'd died and gone to heaven.

 

[chubbyalaskagriz]

I can identify w/ Cathy's and Brook's tales of travel and the cravings you guys had. I was in Argentina for 3 weeks in March and I craved cheeseburgers and American breakfast foods, which are not served anywhere in Buenos Aires.

Not so much at the work-camps up north- cause there we served "everyday" foods that the workers from all over the U.S (and the world) required- so we had it all. But when I worked at fancy Alaskan resorts we more than got our fill of wild salmon & game such as moose & caribou (non-domesticated reindeer), and less casual foods like rack of lamb, pork tenderloin, steaks, seafood, etc. After weeks at work in very remote locations when I would return to civilization and the lower-48 for my week off, I craved basic stuff I'd been denied for a long time like Mom's fried chicken, sis's lasagne, and KFC, Taco Bell and Cracker Jacks/Poppycock/Oreoes/Doritos!