Mark Bitterman, a sarcastic, practical New Yorker cooking only with what he's got. Hope you get as much of a kick out of him as I do!
Gourmet Sweet Potatoes!
Reminds me of Black Friday and Camping:
Anyway, you can check these out as you like, but just know he's hilarious in a not-so-funny way.
So, how is this relevant to France? Well, Thanksgiving does not exist anywhere else in the world except for the United States (and Canada, but it's not related to our version-correct me if I'm wrong). Long story short, the students are interested in anything new and Thanksgiving is just that, new for them. Now, I know that there are several different theories on what the origin of Thanksgiving truly is, but I give them the simplified version: We give thanks for all that we have-familial and material in the form of a harvest festival. They ask about the Pilgrim/Indian version and I say, "in general those are the characters of the past we most often associate with Thanksgiving." The History Channel has a really good variety of videos, articles, and myth-debunking facts on their website. The HC acknowledges that 1621 was not the first year in which a harvest festival such as Thanksgiving took place but that the Native Americans had been celebrating this time of the year forever and that the Europeans would have most likely celebrated their harvests in Europe as well. Then I move on to what we eat, how we eat it (in general its FamilyStyle no?). They also know that not everyone celebrates the same way, just like here in France all families celebrate holidays with their own traditional twist. In general 'à table' in France does not have all the main dishes set out, the courses are served by the hostess/host.
Gourmet Sweet Potatoes!
Reminds me of Black Friday and Camping:
Anyway, you can check these out as you like, but just know he's hilarious in a not-so-funny way.
So, how is this relevant to France? Well, Thanksgiving does not exist anywhere else in the world except for the United States (and Canada, but it's not related to our version-correct me if I'm wrong). Long story short, the students are interested in anything new and Thanksgiving is just that, new for them. Now, I know that there are several different theories on what the origin of Thanksgiving truly is, but I give them the simplified version: We give thanks for all that we have-familial and material in the form of a harvest festival. They ask about the Pilgrim/Indian version and I say, "in general those are the characters of the past we most often associate with Thanksgiving." The History Channel has a really good variety of videos, articles, and myth-debunking facts on their website. The HC acknowledges that 1621 was not the first year in which a harvest festival such as Thanksgiving took place but that the Native Americans had been celebrating this time of the year forever and that the Europeans would have most likely celebrated their harvests in Europe as well. Then I move on to what we eat, how we eat it (in general its FamilyStyle no?). They also know that not everyone celebrates the same way, just like here in France all families celebrate holidays with their own traditional twist. In general 'à table' in France does not have all the main dishes set out, the courses are served by the hostess/host.
Naturally, I want to share some of the greatest creations one could find at the Thanksgiving table with my students. Unfortunately I cannot bring in homemade food for them. After asking the administration if it was at all possible to share a bit of this American tradition with the students, the principal proposed that I go to the chef at 'la cantine' the cafeteria. So, I went to him with the essential ingredients he would need: turkey, stuffing, cranberries, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie. He worked out the numbers and said a version of my proposal is possible! On December 3, 2009 the students at Lycée Camille Corot will enjoy (well, hopefully enjoy-I am a bit nervous) something similar to a Thanksgiving meal.
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