Thanksgiving.... from a new perspective

While I was very bummed about not being able to spend the traditional Turkey Day with the Harty/Bach family, I was very lucky to be welcomed to the celebration of one of Cesar's family friends that I've gotten to know over the last 4 months. This family adopted the Thanksgiving tradition when they lived in the US for a few years, so we gathered around the table, ate some delicious food, and shared what we are thankful for. To make it feel a little more like the Thanksgiving I know, I did my best to make a sweet potato casserole, but considering I had to substitute two of the most important ingredients of the dish - sweet potatoes and brown sugar - it just didn't turn out to be what I expected. Surprisingly enough though, people still liked it. I had to use batatas (which are grayish white) instead of the orange sweet potatoes we know, and instead of brown sugar, something called 'refined sugar with honey'... so I came away from this with a new recipe. It was strange however, to celebrate such a US holiday in such a non-US setting. Between all the Spanish, the new people, and the lack of real sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes, cranberry bread, and all the other favorites, it just wasn't the same without the family. In the end though, I'm grateful that I was still able to celebrate the holiday and see it from a different perspective.