Fanksgiving at UEA

There were two Christmas miracles this morning: 1)Snow on the ground! Only about a half inch in patches here and there, but snow nonetheless. 2)Class was cancelled! I think the half inch of snow scared my professor into staying home. As a result, I have a little extra time to fill you in on my Thanksgiving celebrations, before going back to bed.

Lindsey and I call it "Fanksgiving" because the people here from Essex pronounce "Th" like "F," and Lewis, one of her housemates has a really strong accent. Our conversation yesterday went a little something like this:

"Hi Lewis! Happy Thanksgiving! How are you?"

" 'Ey yank! 'Appy Fanksgiving! I'm well knackered and hungry, could eat a whole bowl a'mash!"

"Yeah, it smells so good. I can't wait for dinner."

"Me efer. I'm just going upstairs to change into somefin' sharp."

Which is translated as:

"Hi Lewis! Happy Thanksgiving! How are you?"

"Hey American Girl Whose Name I Forgot! I'm really tired and hungry, I could eat a whole bowl of mashed potatoes."

"Yeah, it smells so good. I can't wait for dinner."

"Me either. I'm just going upstairs to shower and put on a button-down shirt."

So there you have it. Fanksgiving.

Lindsey, Isabel, Andreas (all her flatmates) and I went to town on Wednesday to go grocery shopping. We bought so much food! Then yesterday I went over to help cook. Keep in mind that the flats do not have ovens, only convection microwaves, so it was a little tricky. I was in charge of the mashed potatoes, and you've never seen a creamier bunch of mash in your life. Delish! We also had turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, velveeta mac & cheese (apparently it appears every year at Lindsey's Thanksgiving, must be sort of like the mandarin orange jello, except everyone loved this), gravy (purple powder turns into salty paste if you add boiling water!), cranberry sauce and broccoli. We also bought rolls but forgot to bake them off. The table was decorated with golden plates and table clothes from Pound Land (everything a gal could want, only 1 pound!) and we had cut-out turkeys and made signs. Our soundtrack was James Taylor's Greatest Hits and Carole King's Tapestry (Lindsey and I picked the music). For dessert Isabel made a chocolate cheesecake, although we didn't have a pan so she had to use a saucepan. It still turned out well.

It was a hugely successful night, all the Brits immensly enjoyed their first Thanksgiving, and it was the best Thanksgiving away from home I could have asked for. Of course I missed you all, but was able to talk to Mama, Daddy, Connor, and Ellina, so I got to hear from home. Hello to all the Rosses gathering today!

Love you!