Life as a Postgrad Scholar

And again I have fallen remiss in my regularity of updates – I blame both my recurring sickness and my general lack of new adventures to recount. To all of you of the American persuasion, I hope Thanksgiving found you well-fed but not more stuffed than the turkey.

I was lucky enough to have an American friend in a nearby city who put together a traditional Thanksgiving meal – that is, as close to traditional as one can get with a limited budget in France. Not all the elements were readily available – for example, whole turkeys are not yet in season, and true pumpkin, canned or otherwise, is hard to come by. Overall though, I can say that I was quite pleased with the result.

I was especially impressed with my American friend’s resourcefulness with regard to the pumpkin pie (my favorite Thanksgiving dish), made from scratch with a squash that closely resembled a pumpkin, and hand-ground spices. It was amusing to watch the French guests at the dinner when they were served the pie. Some of them were brave and tasted it right away, but quite a few of them seemed to put off tasting it for a while. It was also amusing to try and explain the concept of mashed potatoes to a Frenchman – he couldn’t seem to understand that the point is not to make a potato puree but to leave a few lumps here and there.

It’s finally starting to feel like Christmas here, perhaps because Thanksgiving and Black Friday are now behind me, or perhaps because the weather has finally taken on that wintry chill. Or, perhaps it is simply the wealth of Christmas products and decorations that have taken over the commercial areas of town. There have been products on display in stores since early November, but I haven’t noticed them that much until now, when all of the sudden the city seems to be on the verge of exploding with Christmas shoppers, and the marchés de Noel to accommodate them.

Christmas is creeping into my classes at the school as well, where my students and I compare various holiday traditions, such as popular Christmas carols and food that is usually served at Christmas dinner. One such dish is a stuffed turkey, much like what Americans have at Thanksgiving, but usually with chestnuts. Also somewhat common are outdoor stands advertising hot chestnuts and mulled wine, which have become rather a winter cliché, to say in the least. Something I haven’t seen yet, however, is egg nog, which I may have to try making on my own. (Incidentally, the term for egg nog in French translates literally as “hen milk” – how’s that for bizarre?) Now, if only it would snow, my set of Christmas must-haves would be complete…