Thanksgiving in Paris and a return to blogging

As I've become a bit lax on the blogging front lately, I decided Thanksgiving was as good a time as any to recommit to the activity. Many friends from home, in asking how I celebrated the holiday from abroad, have wondered if French people show any interest in the Thanksgiving traditions. Well, the answer is no. The American day of thanks is essentially nonexistent here in Paris (alas, Christmas season has already been in full swing for a month.) Thankfully, I managed to have a very lovely Thanksgiving nonetheless. I was invited to dinner by an American friend whose family lives in Paris. The entire experience was à la française, to say the least, with the meal beginning at 9:30 pm, the turkey replaced by duck, the complete absence of anything pumpkin and the oh-so-French after dinner digestif. But the lovely array of food included stuffing, cranberry sauce and potatoes, so I'm not complaining.

It turns out many American Thanksgiving classics are readily available at a small grocery store called, you guessed it, Thanksgiving, so it's not too late for me to kick my pumpkin craving after all. The store sells quintessentially American goods (think Jif peanut butter, Philadelphia cream cheese, and yes, Libby canned pumpkin) at not-so-American prices. But hey, sometimes the holiday season calls for a splurge.