Thanksgiving In Australia

Its Thanksgiving time again, and I am living in a country that could care less about this American Holiday. The Question is how does one celebrate Thanksgiving with out the family, and all the trimmings that come along with the typical American tradition?

This year I will be cooking my first turkey in Australia. I set out looking for this turkey only to realize turkey is not a popular food item at this time of year in Australia. Being an American I am use to the super markets being stuffed to the gills with turkeys, stuffing, and canned pumpkin this time of year. So you can imagine it came as quite a shock to only find something called "Turkey Hind Quarter" in the freezer section of the super market. (there where no fresh ones available). Turkey Hind Quarter comes in an odd shape. I have yet to unwrap the "Hind Quarter"but I am guessing it is the ass end of the turkey with some breast, I am deducing this by its odd shape. So when the Turkey has thawed and I can unwrap it, it will be interesting to see just what Turkey parts come with "Turkey Hind Quarter".

Another Thanksgiving food issue I am facing is the lack of canned pumpkin in Australia. Australians like their Pumpkin fresh and they eat it all year. Mostly roasted in the oven, or made into soup. For this you would want to use fresh pumpkin. (I once made pumpkin soup out of the canned stuff in the USA, and it was disgusting, you can ask my humble parents who had to suffer through it.) But for pumpkin pie, I want canned pumpkin, mainly for the convenience, but also because I have no idea how to make it with fresh pumpkin, there are so many different kinds of pumpkins to choose from, and I do not want to be disappointed with a disgusting pumpkin pie because I used butternut pumpkin instead of buttercup pumpkin. So the pumpkin pie is off the menu until the super market starts carrying canned pumpkin!

Another important element of Thanksgiving is spending time with friends and family. This holiday, like Christmas is always a sad one for me and I am sure for many others who are far away from home. I will be spending it with Graham, and luckily this year my Mother In Law Karen, who is visiting Perth from Sydney. But I still miss my Mom and Dad, and all of our friends back in the good old US of A.

I remember my girlfriends once making the comment (when we where kids), "Mary isn't your Thanksgiving boring with only you and your Mom and Dad?" I never once thought it was boring. They all had large families, with other children, while it was just me and Mom and Dad at home. But just like them our small family had our own traditions on Thanksgiving. Our Thanksgiving would start out with Mom in the kitchen. Some years she would make Dad and I Waffles.. Yumm.. Grandma's buttermilk recipe. Then Mom and I would turn on the Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC, I always had to see the old Tom Turkey float or Thanksgiving could not begin. Dad always busy ed himself in his ham radio room until late morning when he and I would break out the Christmas lights, then he would spend the rest of the afternoon testing the strands and changing the bulbs and I would start hanging the lights out in front of the house. Dad and I where always a good team hanging the outdoor lights. Mom would come out to give us some artistic direction when she needed a break from all the preparations going on in the kitchen for our Thanksgiving Dinner. Late afternoon would find the three of us sitting around the big dining room table full of our favorite treats, Turkey, Sweet Potatoes with marsh mellows on top, Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, and always a pumpkin pie, and a selection of other yummy sweets! Though we where a small family, it was always still filled with the love, joy, and thankfulness all other "larger"family gatherings experience.

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! Gee I wish I could be at home, but do not worry I will spread the spirit of Thanksgiving to everyone I meet today!

Flies Flies Everywhere

Recently I have been getting to know the Australian Bush Fly Musca Vetustissima ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musca_vetustissima )on a more intimate level. This relationship with the fly was not one I started, you see the fly sought me out and began this intimate and annoying relationship. It started with just one fly, then that fly told his friends and soon enough I was a common fly watering hole.

I use the term watering hole because this particular type of fly loves to feast upon human mucus. That means this pesky little fly loves to swarm your eyes, mouth, ears, and nose. If you have not had the joy to meet these annoying insects let me be the first to introduce you.

Words that describe the Australian Bush Fly include: Annoying, Creative, Pesky, Freeloader, Quick, Strong Willed, Icky, Vexatious, Nosey, Irritating, Revolting. I could think of many more.

These flys are not like the flys at home in North America. Not even close. Although they do not bite they are constantly with you, swarming your face. When they are not flying at your eyes and mouth like suicide bombers they are riding peacefully on your back, shoulders or arms. During my weekly work outs in the park I have to put up with them crawling through my hair.. Have you ever felt fly legs crawling along your scalp while its friends assault your ears... lets just say its unpleasant..

After being annoyed by these horrid flys all week, I started to do some research on them. I wanted to find out just where they were all coming from. This is what I learned. The Australian Bush Fly breeds and lays its eggs in Animal Dung... yes thats right.. poo..

Just where all this poo is laying about in the city of Perth I would like to know so someone could clean it up and burn it. Just one cow patty can be a birthing place to thousands of flies. This fact deeply disturbed me. Now when I am being assaulted by flys I can happily think about their birth place and feel even better.

Realizing researching these awful flys was making me more depressed so I stopped.

I really do hope these flys go away. But I hear they just get worse as the summer goes on. I will keep you posted on the situation.

(Note to Family and Friends: I do not mean to detour you from visiting me in Perth, but do keep in mind there seems to be a fly problem) Oh and bug spray just makes them worse.