Topic: Thanksgiving dinner yesterday

[qahtan]

 We went to our daughters yesterday, she lives in London , Ontario. 10 of us sat down to thanksgiving dinner.
 Canadian have roast turkey very different to the way I always had it in UK, or even how I serve it here.
 We had roast turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, corn, roast Hubbard squash,
fresh baby spinach with fresh cranberry's salad, gravy and cranberry sauce.
 pear and dried Cherry's crumble, pumpkin roulade with mascapone cream filling. wine and coffee.

Today true Thanksgiving we Gerry and I will have roast chicken and

  Pumpkin [pie made this morning. Gotta have one over the Thanksgiving.....
 qahtan

[Flighty]

Qahtan Happy Thanksgiving!

That all sounds, and looks, delicious! Do you have anything, such as cream, with the pumpkin pie?

[qahtan]

 Yes Flighty, room temperature pumpkin pie with cold whipped cream is super, but a
 some one forgot to get it. :( so we will be having ice cream on it.
                         qahtan

[PurpleHeather]

Do we have thanks giving in England then?

The food sounds lovely by the way. I suppose you make your party with what ever you have available and it becomes traditional after a while.

[qahtan]

Thanksgiving is more or less like Harvest Festival in England, It was always celebrated in UK when I lived there.
 It's when the Church is decorated with the fruits of the earth, and some bakers used to bake bread in the shape of huge sheaths of corn etc.
 Most of the goodies were then given to the hospital or a similar.
 Here turkey is traditional Thanksgiving dinner, as like Christmas Pudding is in UK for Christmas.
Turkey has been traditional since the early settlers came and gave thanks for their bounty and had wild turkey and corn which was given them by the native Indians, some people still do have wild turkey.   qahtan

[PurpleHeather]

Yes I have heard of harvest festivals. As a non religious person I do not follow what goes on in churches or any other place of worship for that matter.

I knew the Americans celebrated thanks giving as the first settlers were Christian sects who were not accepted in Europe went their for freedom to worship as they chose.

Plymouth Brethren, if my memory serves me correctly were some of the first settlers and  went there on the Mayflower.

It was a long time ago of course but I can certainly see how they would have been grateful to survive such a journey and arrival in a strange place. I believe without the friendly natives they would  probably have starved.

I have never heard of Harvest Festival being celebrated in the UK, other than in the churches. I did not know people had a special meal at home.

When my children were at a local school, I recall we were asked to send tinned and packets of food for the church festival, these were then distributed to the local elderly who had complained in the past that fresh produce went off before they could use the stuff, so if every one sent food that kept it would be more practical.

I don't think any one does it round here any more. Our OAPs are not needy and all our NHS hospitals out source their catering.

We have no local bakers,  only the supermarkets who undercut them all, then when they had gone, put up their bread prices. Did the same thing with the butchers, green grocers, corner shops, garden centres and most garages, off licences and are currently working on the Chemists.

[qahtan]

I don't think it was ever celebrated with a slap up meal for Harvest Festival, but I think most people that did recognize it it was a special day,But Britain has changed so much since we left that both my husband and myself now
feel like strangers there.
           Americans don't celebrate Thanksgiving until third Thursday in November, 19th November. qahtan

 The turkeys are always on special for that. and I mean special. ;-))