Friday, November 26, 2010

November 26, 2010: A Russian Thanksgiving

We went all out for Thanksgiving.  Everyone signed up weeks in advance to make different dishes, and then Marissa made up a schedule of kitchen use and time for each person in the 3 kitchens available to us.  We cooked all day.  There was a debate about the appropriateness of playing Christmas music – some people thought it helped to get in the holiday mood, and others insisted you have to wait until after Thanksgiving to play Christmas music.  So we switched it up every hour or so, and there was also a really different vibe in each of the 3 kitchens, depending on who was cooking and whose music was playing.  We laughed and joked and helped each other chop vegetables and told childhood stories and banded together to keep the fire alarm from going off when the fried chicken caused clouds of smoke.

There was SO MUCH food!  For many of us, it was our first time making family recipes without the help of our parents, and we also had to improvise with some ingredients that aren’t readily available here.  But everything turned out beautifully.  We had a turkey and a chicken and macaroni and cheese and meatloaf and a giant pot of Russian cabbage soup called shee.  There was creamed spinach and tomato salad and green bean casserole and fried eggplant and frosted cauliflower (my specialty) and mashed potatoes and stuffing and cranberry sauce.  For dessert we had pumpkin pie made from fresh pumpkin, apple pie, cinnamon apples, cookies, brownies, and pecan pie.  And there was plenty of vodka, sangria, and champagne to go around.

There were between 60 and 70 of us packed into the rehearsal space in the basement of the dorm that’s about 15 feet by 40 feet.  The food was laid out on tables, but there were only about 8 chairs lining the walls – we stood to eat and talk.  It was a real treat to share this holiday with our closest Russian friends who are students at MXAT and our teachers: in attendance were both of my acting teachers, my Russian language teacher, my stage combat teacher, my movement teacher, and the head of the Moscow Art Theatre School, Anatoly Smeliansky.  Dr. Smeliansky gave a toast saying that because of Russia’s rough history, they don’t have any holidays that really mean anything to the people, and he is honored to be a part of this holiday that has a real meaning for us.  He also said that we are a very special group of American students, and more than just students he sees us as colleagues.  Our Russian language teacher Elena also gave a short toast, saying that this is the 8th Thanksgiving she has shared with the American students, and although she has never been to the United States, it is now a treasured tradition for her.

At home, I tend to take Thanksgiving for granted.  It’s just a day to eat a lot of food and see a few friends or relatives.  This year, I was reminded what the holiday is really for – it is a chance to share what you can: your time, your food, your company – and appreciate all your blessings.  It warmed my heart to be a part of such a large team effort that turned out so well and that was truly appreciated by the Russian people we’ve grown to love here.  We’re all still glowing from the success, and I’ve heard more than one of my friends say it was the best Thanksgiving they’ve ever had.

1 comment:

  1. That brought a little tear to my eye Jenny! Beautiful post!

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