Tusen Takk

This semester has been a semester of firsts for me when it comes to cooking. Until this semester I have been living either at home or in a University of Minnesota Residence Hall, both of which provided food. And while I liked to think that I could cook, that was a grave misconception. Sure I could cook a pre-packaged frozen pizza, or barbecue some pre-cooked brats, or stir up a pre-boxed macaroni and cheese...but if you notice, each of those menu items includes the word "pre-" before it, which implies and signifies that no creativity or culinary know-how involved in the making of said foods. Essentially I was following simple instructions on how to heat up the pre-packaged food (most of which include pictures with those instructions). So in coming to Norway and living on my own, I was forced to expand my cooking horizons. I learned how to make rice. I learned the importance of boiling potatoes before using for culinary purposes. I learned the difference in the Norwegian language between "ranch salad dressing" and "tartar sauce". I learned the value in finding sales at the grocery store. And the difference between olive oil and soy oil (and why you should have both around). Basically I was taking Cooking 101, on the fly, in a different language. And while it was difficult at first (the ranch dressing/tartar sauce mix up was a rude mistake), I have done just fine and not gone hungary yet. In fact, I have learned quite bit and look forward to continuing cooking when I return stateside where I will have an english-language grocery store and a full kitchen (my kitchen here is lacking some crucial cooking utensils and tools).

Thanksgiving, as you all know, is a traditional American holiday. It is my favorite one (not because the food is good, which it is) because it is the one holiday in my familiy where the entire family (or at least my Dad's side) comes together from around the country to celebrate. There are so many relatives (Poppy, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc) all in the same place, and I love, truly love the time together. I think I am very lucky in that our family is so close and we have such a good time together. So when I realized that I would be out of the country this Thanksgiving and miss all of the festivities that were happening in Madison, I was a bit bummed...in fact, the only time this semester that I have been a bit homesick and wanted to be home, was last Thursday on Thanksgiving when I knew all of my relatives were there. But being bummed and moping would have accomplished nothing, so as I had been planning to do all semester, I decided to put everything I have learned, all my acquired knowledge, my full cooking abilities, to the ultimate test as I attempted to make the traditional-very elaborate-often messed up-cooking equivalent of a marathon, Thanksgiving Feast. I decided that it should be, and was my duty as an American studying abroad to attempt at bringing at least one tradition with me, and that was to be Thanksgiving. The funny and ironic thing about that idea, was that I had never cooked any of the parts to a Thanksgiving meal, much less the entire spread at once. All I knew about it, was that my Mom (and many relatives) would spend the better part of a day preparing, chopping, mixing, stirring, mashing, basting, and cooking our annual Thanksgiving feast. So how, in the name of traditional American holidays, was I supposed to make such a meal?...well it was a good question, and I wasnt so sure of the answer...

The funny thing about a Thanksgiving menu, is that every household does it a bit differently, and every household thinks their way is the best way. So while I was keen to get the main recipes from my mother, I had about 3 other "mothers" telling me how they did it, or how their mothers did it, and how that was how I might want to do it. I was gracious for any and all tips, after all I needed all the help I could get...they were all very valid and legit tips, and were telling of the household from which they origniated. Yet upon recieving 4 different suggestions on how best to cook a turkey, I realized there were many ways to do this, and I was going to have to make the executive decision and choose one (Mom, you will be happy to know that your recipes prevailed more often than not when facing competition).

My Norwegian Thanksgiving took place last weekend on Saturday. A friend was gracious enough to lend me her wonderful apartment with a huge kitchen for the cooking and the subsequent meal. I had invited a few of my Oslo-"family" to come and take part in the celebration, and so 12 people were going to be eating...thus requiring a grocery list of a 6 kg turkey (which I had to order a week ahead of time because eating turkey is more common around Christmas, so it was not guaranteed there would be one in), 8 kg of potatoes (which we ended up eating about 5 of), 2 loaves of bread, 5 cans of cranberries (which I was not expecting to find, but did and it made my Thanksgiving...ha hah!), and many other veggies and fixings necessary for a fantastic feast. (*ed note: to get the number of lbs, just multiply the kg X 2....so 6 kg = ~12 lbs). After acquiring all the necessary grocery items, I spent almost all day Saturday at my friends, cooking and preparing the meal. She was gracious enough to lend a helping hand if needed, as coincidentally she had cooked a Thanksgiving meal before. But I am proud to report, that at no time did she have to jump in and stop something catastrophic from happening...in fact, I would say that everything I made I actually made.

After hours of cooking, all my pals showed up, and we had a feast that included a turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, two salads, a green bean casserole-ish salad (that a friend brought), carrot jello (that the same friend also brought), cranberries, biscuits, two kinds of gravy, as well as a plethora of wine from around the world, and two pumpkin pies for desert. It was a feast. And while you may not believe my word, I would say that it all went off really well. The food definitely exceeded my expectations, and while they may not admit it, I think it exceeded those of my friends as well. However, while the food was good, it was also wonderful to sit around a huge table with some of my closest new friends and share some food, some wine, and some good times. The bit of homesickness and disappointment I had felt about missing Thanksgiving at home, was forgotten as I had a spectacular time at our Norwegian equivalent. It is a Thanksgiving that I will remember for the rest of my life...the smiling faces, the conversations, the jokes, the laughter. I was and am and I will be, giving thanks for the people, the experiences, the fun, the memories, and the wonderful semester that I have spent in Oslo, Norway. It has been truly remarkable and I cannot accurately articulate it all....so I will leave at a common Norwegian phrase for one-thousand thanks, "tusen takk".