Our first Thanksgiving in Germany!
Do the Germans celebrate Thanksgiving?
Jein (Ja and Nein, German shortened version for sort-of).
There is technically a day of thanks scheduled in October every year. But this is typically observed more in the rural areas of Germany, if at all. In fact, most Germans I talked to were surprised to find out there was a day of thanks for the Germans.
Americans (and other Thanksgiving celebrators) will have to get more accustomed to not having any days off. There is a fall break for school children, and it typically falls in the last few weeks of October.
If you are a big Thanksgiving celebrator, you can find turkey here, but you have to search for it. The best places to find a turkey are at the farmers’ market. I would suggest asking a vendor if they could bring you a turkey a week ahead of time.
Last year, on the day we made our Thanksgiving meal, I ran out to the stores to find a turkey. We did not want to get it ahead of time, because we did not know how to keep it. (I might add that my boyfriend and I are both in our mid-twenties and have never made a turkey before, let alone cooked a whole Thanksgiving meal alone!)
I biked to a few local grocery stores, like REWE and Edeka. They had nothing of the sorts. So then I biked to the local farmers’ market (it was a Saturday, thank goodness, because they only occur two days a week). I went through all the vendors, and found one who had a turkey.
The turkey was around 30 pounds (for two people!!) and it was fresh. It also cost 50 Euros (about $55 in 2018). I did not have enough cash to pay, and the vendors do not often take cards, so I had to go to an ATM.
I came back with the money and paid for the turkey. I then put it in one of my waterproof bike bags, and biked home in the rain, with a 30 pound fresh turkey in my saddlebag. I can say I have had easier Thanksgivings!
We then proceeded to made an entire dinner, complete with turkey, stuffing, roasted vegetables, homemade cranberry sauce (the store-bought kind is also hard to find in Germany) and rolls and gravy. It took us around half a day to cook one meal. Considering that we are only two people, it seemed like a lot of trouble to go to.
Although it was a lot of work to find a turkey, rather expensive, and took a whole day to prep, the turkey turned out great for us first-timers. We also had leftovers for about 2 weeks! We were super exhausted, yet proud of our accomplishment.
With that in mind, this year we decided to skip the traditional turkey feast, and go for tacos. Lucas and I both like tacos, and we thought this would be an easier substitute for a feast.
You might be wondering how it turned out. Is there a substitute for a Thanksgiving dinner? Is something quicker and faster better?
The answer is no. I really missed the traditional turkey and stuffing. I am a big fan of Thanksgiving and find that there really is no better planed menu for a feast. It is a lot of work, but I think that makes the meal more meaningful.
The tacos were super quick to cook. This made it feel like we were having just another weekday meal, instead of something special. Isn’t the special feeling worth the effort? I think so.
Next year, these expats will be making turkey and stuffing- no ifs, ands, or buts about it!