In March, we were happy to welcome a Costco to our capital, Hiroshima City. Before its opening, there were certain foods that either we couldn't get at all, like turkey, quality cheese, pecans or cranberry juice to name a few, and some foods that were only sold in small amounts and egregiously overpriced, like oatmeal, flour, and coffee. I was, however, sad to see that not all of the products sold back home made it to the shelves in Japan. I would have been so happy to see whole wheat flour, hemp hearts, quinoa, flax, basically any healthy whole grain, dried beans, and some kind of breakfast cereal that wasn't cornflakes and Cheerios. You can't have it all, I guess.
Unfortunately in some ways and fortunately in others, we live about two hours from Hiroshima City and don't really get the opportunity to visit more than a handful of times in a year. In early October all five of us packed into a friend's car to drive to Costco and pick up some Thanksgiving essentials. We were joined on the big day of feasting by our neighbours and their one year old daughter and our good friends the Oshimas.
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| Making apple pie |
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| Can you believe that I fit a 6 ½ kilo turkey into this oven? |
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| Getting ready to sit down to our feast |
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| William was overwhelmed with delicious scents and smells |
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| Theo and our neighbour's daughter waiting mostly patiently to eat |
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| No Thanksgiving is complete without apple and pumpkin pie! |
Every year that we are here, cooking for holiday meals seems to get easier and easier. I am not sure if it is because I am fast becoming used to my tiny, nearly counter-less kitchen, because I am just not putting as much pressure on myself to make the "perfect" holiday meal, or because I am starting to invite more people and delegating what dishes I want them to bring along. Whatever the case may be, this ended up being a fun day with friends, family, and yummy food! Until next year turkey!
