Thanksgiving in Belize

Thanksgiving is a distinctly American holiday, probably in part because it is not connected to a religion. I believe it was created by Abraham Lincoln, and at some point FDR moved it from the fourth Thursday in November to the third, in response to retailers who wanted a longer shopping season (even back then).  The holiday rubbed off on the Canadians, who celebrate Thanksgiving on the second weekend in October, which is much closer to harvest time in northern states.  Some years ago our family went to New Brunswick, Canada, on Columbus Day weekend, and discovered it was Thanksgiving in Canada.  We had a good time.

So what about Belize?  Here in Belize it was business as usual, except for a bunch of ex-pats, including yours truly.. My friend Bob invited me to a gathering he hosts and prepares dinner for.  He had hosted it for several years at his small abode, but for the last couple of years it has been at a neighbor's much larger home.

Bob goes all out - two turkeys, 15 lbs of mashed potatoes, candied yams, waldorf salad, green salad, excellent stuffing, and other things I did not sample. I think he had to special order the turkey - I'll have to find out.  I added a chocolate cake and an apple pie I made using Granny Smith apples.  Baking here is a challenge, the oven does not have a thermostat, and the heat is very uneven.  I forgot to bring my pastry cloth, so had to roll out the pastry on my kitchen table because the counters are all 4" tile, not suitable for rolling pastry.  I will have a much better stove at my new place, so I'm anxious to move so I can do my Chistmas baking.

There were about  20 of us, and it was nice meeting others in the ex-pat community who were not connected with Rotary, the VFD or AA, my other methods of connection.   Because the meat here tends to be tough unless it is stewed,  the turkey was really satisfying.

I should also mention in passing how nice it is to be in a culture that is not obsessed with Christmas shopping. The cable televison stations from the US are in high contrast with the life in the slow lane here.  There are TV stations in Belize City that we get here, and although they have ads that relate to Christmas, they haven't the high production values of US ads.  Got the newspapers today, one is weekly and the other is twice a week.  One had an insert.  Both had  a few ads relating to Christmas.    People here don't have a lot of "walking around" money, and the vast majority of people do not have credit cards, so the economy is not based on local people spending money, the way the US economy is.  Decidedly low key.  I like it.

Had an inquiry about the availablity of places like I'm going into, as rentals.  Will address that whole issue of accomodations in my next post because I think many are wondering that.

be well