Turkey Day!

This Thanksgiving was the first spent abroad as a family. Granted, Melissa and I were able to enjoy a few weeks in Cuba without the girls in November 2012. Just two lovebirds, strolling through Havanna Vieja, diving the Carribean, and lounging on endless sandy beaches while the sugar-enriched girls shunned turkey and chow at grandma´s house. I really should post a photo of MLP in her bikini, but I digress....

For some reason, this year we decided to play host and invite some fellow wayward Gringos over for Thanksgiving. And, although we have been blessed with our share of experiences, preparing a traditional Thanksgiving dinner was never on that list. Until this year. My previous experience with turkey was that it usually comes from Manti, Utah and crowds up the frozen section for a few weeks each year, that you stuff things in it, and that it tastes better than fish, but certainly finds itself that low on our list. Clearly, we were out of our element, out of our league, and very much out of our own kitchen, which is lacking a few much-desired kitchen tools. But, undaunted, Melissa was convinced that, with a little Skped-in help from her mom and an email volley with Jen W., we could pull this off. Besides, if we ruined the turkey, we would be able to eat mashed potatoes and the other stuff that we actually enjoy consuming. Everybody wins.

After consulting with the best butcher in town (don´t ask about the health-code conditions) we discovered that the only turkeys available before Christmas are sold in Cusco, over an hour away. So, while I took Norah and Lola into the town market for the things we could buy locally, Melissa snatched up Harper for a trip to the big city to fetch the bird and a small mountain of ingredients, decorations, and holiday accoutrements.

Despite the strange setting and menu, Melissa and I seemed to work into the night like a well-oiled Thanksgiving machine. It was like being back on the river together cooking for a big group, sans the roaring of the blaster and the sand between our toes. However, little did I know that, after thawing the turkey for the better part of a week, you get to discover hidden treasures inside the beast! In this part of the world, at least, before you can stuff things up the bird you need to remove a few fascinating (and edible?) body parts! 

This is the more macho photo that doesn´t show me in full teary-eyed convulsion.

 

A rare opportunity to terrorize the girls with turkey feet

Entirely to Melissa´s credit (and much correlary credit to Lana and Jen from afar), the meal came off without a hitch. And, what's more, the turkey was delish!

Our cherished guests, 12 LDS missionaries serving in the Sacred Valley, joined us for a fantastic meal and some great company. Since I had already seen more than enough of the bird, I had Elder Johnson play patriarch and carve the turkey. As Zone Leader heading home the next week, it seemed fitting for him to take the honor and, considering that our knives seemed to have been sharpened on a jagged Andean stone somewhere, he did a fantastic job of it. And, having the latin elders around provided the added benefit of their eagerness to head home with a ziplock full of the turkey parts we wouldn´t dream of consuming. More power to 'em.

Although we sure missed being away from our extended family, the holiday turned out to be a great time together, never to be forgotten. On their shopping trip to Cusco, Melissa and Harper found a $7 plastic Christmas tree set, complete with lights, ornaments, skirt, and a shiny star, so I guess we are also well on our way to a great Peruvian Christmas. Stay tuned!