Thanksgiving in Australia

On October 16th we promised our Australian friends that we would host a traditional Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner. Our Aussie friends had indicated to us that they were very excited about having a Thanksgiving Dinner since they had only witnessed this special event in American movies. Sadly, they do not celebrate the thankful time of harvest. They have told us that they felt that it was a very good idea; especially in Kadina, which is a farming community. So for many, this Thanksgiving would be their first! We recognize that October 11th was officially Thanksgiving Day in Canada. However, because we had just arrived back from our holiday to Malaysia on October 10th, we elected to postpone our Thanksgiving Dinner until the next weekend. What started out as a dinner party for five people quickly expanded into a festive party of more than twenty! We also figured that it wouldn’t matter much whether we had Thanksgiving on the 11th or the 16th considering that this was our Aussie friends' inaugural dinner.

Prior to getting started we wanted the dinner to be as traditional as possible. This meant that the dinner had to be “Sit Down Style” rather than “Buffet Style”. As you can imagine, with only one oven to cook the turkey, we had a number of logistical problems to overcome. How would we cook all the vegetables? How would we be able to serve the food piping hot to the table? Where would we get the tables and chairs to seat everyone? Where would we find the room to seat everyone? Where would we get the cranberries to make the sauce? Finally and most importantly, where would we get the turkey, let alone find a bird big enough for twenty people?

Well not to worry….when there’s a will, there’s a way. Everyone pitched in, showed how resourceful they could be and as a result, all problems were solved and a good time was had by all. There was an abundance of food, as well as plenty of mirth and merriment. Wait, we are getting ahead of ourselves, so we’ll digress a bit and start at the beginning.

Our planning started in August with Rick busy in the kitchen making fourteen dozen perogies and heaps of cabbage rolls. Heaps is an Australian expression meaning LOTS! For example when dining with a number of Aussies, it is not unusual for someone who has enjoyed his meal, to remark that, “The food was heaps yum!” In addition to not having experienced Thanksgiving Dinner, our Australian friends had also never experienced either one of these Ukrainian dishes. Therefore, we felt it necessary that we make heaps of them and make sure that they be included on the menu. Desi, the butcher, offered to store these tasty savouries in his freezer until Thanksgiving, but advised that a storage fee was in order. To waive a rental fee, the sly and crafty Desi stipulated that he and his wife, Anne, be treated to some Ukrainian mouth-watering delectables prior to Thanksgiving. We felt that this was a good trade and it also solved our storage problem!

When Desi and Anne showed up for their promised dinner, we were completely astonished as Anne had made a pumpkin pie! We were surprised to learn that most Australians had never had pumpkin pie for dessert, and of course in Canada, pumpkin pie is a Thanksgiving Dinner staple. In Australia, pumpkin is considered to be a vegetable that is served with the meal. So you can imagine our astonishment when Anne arrived with pumpkin pie! We had been wondering how we were going to make pumpkin pie as there are so many different varieties to choose from, and you cannot find one can of pumpkin pie filling on any of the grocery store shelves. Anne, bless her heart and in true Thanksgiving spirit, had gone onto the Internet to learn how to make a pumpkin pie. When she arrived for dinner with pumpkin pie in hand, she asked us if this is what the pie should look like and more importantly, did it taste like pumpkin pie? We didn’t hesitate and dove into our “trial” dessert before serving our Ukrainian dinner of perogies and cabbage rolls. The pumpkin pie was a10 out of 10. Another problem had been solved!

When it came to sorting out the cooking and dining logistics, everyone came to the rescue. We witnessed Aussie resourcefulness at its best! Desi really wanted to deep fry the turkey even though he had never done one before, let alone have a deep fryer big enough to house a bird to feed a hungry mob of twenty. So he built one out of an old beer keg! Desi, as well as Scott and Leon made sure that we had chairs and tables to seat everyone; a refrigerated storage truck to keep the victuals from going off, two portable ovens and barbeques to cook the feast, and finally a bain marie to ensure that the food would be served all at once and most importantly, hot. Jane made two absolutely gorgeous native flower arrangements as table centers. Doug and Dawn opened their home to host the meal and provided everyone with googled information on the tradition of Thanksgiving. Leon, Alli, Jill, Dawn and Desi went full tilt helping to prepare the food. The list of helpers just goes on and on. All our problems were delightfully solved with the exception of one. We could not keep Scott from stealing and sampling the sausage that accompanied the perogies. By the time dinner was being served, we discovered that there was a noticeable absence of sausage! It was Desi’s first attempt at making kobassa. We understand that it was wholeheartedly enjoyed by those who were fortunate enough to find some hidden in the pile of perogies.

A sizeable serving of appetizers, appreciatively and deliciously made by Leon and Desi, kept our guests at bay while the turkey was being cooked. Spring Rolls, Samosas, Raw Oysters and Oysters Kilpatrick were delightfully devoured by all. For the main course, a beautiful ham was also baked to compliment the mouth-watering turkey. In addition to the perogies and cabbage rolls, the usual accoutrements of mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, and gravy were also served. Our guest’s were most captivated by Rick’s mother’s dish of sweet potatoes served up with marshmallows.

For dessert, our guests had a choice of Blueberry Cake, Banana Bread, Pumpkin Pie, Pecan Pie and/or Quandong Pie. Quandongs are a truly unique native Australian fruit found in arid and semi-arid regions of Australia. It is used in making jams, chutneys and pies. Coffee laced with Kahlua and Baileys rounded out the evening.

For us, the highlight of the dinner was the moment when everyone had their moment to give Thanks. Prior to coming to dinner, we had informed our guests that in true Thanksgiving spirit, they should be prepared to speak on why they were thankful. We had explained that this was a tradition in our family that usually took place after the main course, but before dessert. The Aussie’s embraced this custom and they were “AWESOME”! It was a true Thanksgiving moment as heartfelt moments were shared amongst friends accompanied with the usual jibes of jocularity that are usually bantered back and forth when good friends get together.

It was a very special Thanksgiving and one that we will never forget!

Leon and Anne enjoying the “Test” pumpkin pie

Leon playing in the kitchen – equipped with ovens, BBQ, bain marie, and coolers

Our self-contained fridge

Jane’s beautiful native Australian flower arrangements

Jill and Cheryl sharing a moment dressed in Canadian red

The moment before the cooking of the bird!

Into the deep fryer

The end product – Heaps Yum!

Did we forget to mention the Yorkshire Pudding?

Where are the people?

They showed up at chow time

Scott and Ali enjoying a Thanksgiving moment

Apa Khabar from Malaysia

September 25th was the last day of the third term of school, with the fourth and final term of school scheduled to commence October 11. Our much anticipated leisure time was spent holidaying in Malaysia with three other couples. Two of Gail’s teaching colleagues in Kadina - Dawn and Jane - as well as their respective husbands - Doug and Andrew - accompanied us on a most delightful trip. Rounding out the foursome and adding to the mirth and merriment was another Canadian couple, Gay and Greig, who reside in Cold Lake. Gay and Greig are currently on teacher exchange in Keith, South Australia, which is approximately a four and one half hour drive from Kadina. We have gotten to know Gay and Greig during our time in Australia; have enjoyed each others company and know that we will be seeing more of each other once we return to Canada.

It has been our experience that when a group of friends travel together there are plenty of experiences that are shared, and you can be guaranteed that someone will have a story to tell. For example as an illustration, while we were in Langkawi, Doug unfortunately came up with a case of “Montezuma’s Revenge” or as it is referred to in Australia as “Bombay Bum” or “Bali Belly”. Doug was enjoying himself poolside when nature’s urge beckoned him to hurry. With head down, he sped off via the patio entrance to his room with only seconds to spare. After Doug was able to pause and focus, he discovered that he had made a bee line to his neighbour’s room rather than his own. Needless to say there was plenty of teasing and chuckling once everyone discovered what Doug had done.

Malaysia is a beautiful tropical country only a few degrees north of the Equator. It was our first visit in a Muslim country. We found the experience to be both fascinating and eye-opening. Certain facets of the holiday were helpful in breaking down some of our western prejudicial intolerant biases; while other aspects confirmed what many of us already know in that the truth generally lies below a shallow surficial façade. In other words, what you see is not always what you get. We find it difficult to explain and recognize that perhaps our impressions may be skewed as we only spent a couple of weeks in Malaysia. Nevertheless, a few of our observations are provided below which serve to provide the rationale for our feelings:

• On the way into Kuala Lumpar from the airport, our driver was most pleased to tell us that Malaysia, with a population of approximately 28 million people, is a multi-racial and multi-religious country. It is a blend of a variety of cultures. Approximately 50% of the population is Malay, who are considered to be Muslim under the Malaysian constitution. They practice Islam. Roughly another 25% of the people are of Chinese origin with the majority being Buddhists; although Confucianism and Taoism are also practiced. South Asians comprise the next largest sector of the population and practise Hindu. Around 9% of the population base is Christian.
  
  The taxi driver’s comments initially left us with an opinion that there is a multi-cultural harmony amongst the people. However our observations concluded quite the opposite. During our travels we saw little evidence of any holy buildings with the exception of Islamic temples. It was strange, yet fascinating and mesmerizing to hear the temple’s loud speakers calling out at various times of the day to remind people of prayer time. Given the diverse origins of the population, we were also surprised to discover that approximately 95% of government positions are held by Muslims. In addition, we were advised that most stores require their female clerks to wear a hijab so that Muslims would be comfortable frequenting their shops.
  
  
• We noticed a number of young ladies in full black dress wearing burqas. We were curious as to why we never saw a middle age or elderly lady wearing a burqa. When asked, we were told that the young ladies were predominantly from Saudi Arabia and were either on holidays or on a honeymoon with their husbands. No explanation was provided to us as to why people practicing Islam from Saudi Arab wore burqas, whereas those people from Malaysia practicing Islam did not. One shop keeper of South Asian origin, who was quite outspoken, went so far as to tell us that he felt most Muslims were hypocrites who did not follow their own beliefs.
  
  
• One of the strangest moments of the holiday took place on a very hot and muggy sunny day pool side at our hotel. The father of a Muslim family from Saudi Arabia was enjoying himself swimming while his wife, fully covered with a burqa, and their two young daughters sat poolside. The mother watched her husband frolic and splash in the water; while their toddler children, upset and crying, could not comprehend why they couldn’t swim in the pool with their father. To make matters only worst, the children noticed other kids of equal age playfully swimming and enjoying the holiday moment with their parents. As we watched the performance unfold, we did not and still cannot understand the father’s and mother’s rationale for allowing this kind of behaviour.

In summary we left Malaysia knowing that travel is a good education that makes one mindful that one should be receptive to and aware of other cultures and customs. One needs to understand the rationale for the cultural or religious behaviour before becoming critical of same. Perhaps much of our western society is too quick to make judgement and try to instil their own set of values on other cultures. As one person aptly told us, travel makes you learn to appreciate the good things that you have at home. Enough arm-chair philosophy!

Our trip started in Kuala Lumpur, or “KL” as it is commonly called in the Land Down Under. KL is home to the Petronas Towers, once the tallest building in the world. It is now surpassed by a few other structures including the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, which is now the tallest. While in KL, we spent four jam-packed days traveling many miles either by foot, subway, monorail or taxi visiting China Town, Little India, or other shopping meccas within the Golden Triangle. Sometime in between it all, we managed to visit an elephant sanctuary as well as a Hindu Temple at the Batu Caves. We also had to take a brief daily rest stop from the heat and humidity as we waited out the torrential rainfall that everyone associates with tropical countries. Experiencing it is exhilarating! Don’t even think about trying to stay dry if you are caught in the deluge. No question we would go back to KL in a heart beat. Interestingly, its airport is a hub center for many destinations within Asia…so who knows, perhaps future travels may take us there again.

Day and Night Photos of the Petronas Tower



Day at the Elephant Sanctuary


Doug and Dawn at the Batu Caves


Notice the Monkeys (not Rick!)


The Monkeys are cheeky like our squirrels and chipmunks


Everyone stops while its raining

After our stay in KL we said our good-byes to Andrew and Jane. Andrew and Jane had planned to spend the rest of their vacation time in Penang while the rest of us had made arrangement to rest and relax on the island of Langkawi. Langkawi is Malaysia’s answer to Bali. It is very much one of the resort destination areas for amongst others, Australian visitors. While on the island, we certainly did rest and relax. Our biggest concern was wondering where we were going to eat that night or where did we want to go shopping since the island is a “Duty Free” shopping area. The meals were excellent. We filled our bellies with Singapore noodles, curried chicken, beef rendang and other local delights. Walking the night market and browsing at the food stalls was divine! We also did the usual tourist excursions such as taking a boat to island hop, or ride the gondola up the mountain for a breath taking view of the island. In summary, the holiday was a 10 out 10.

Island Hopping at Langkawi




Cooking up a storm at the night market


Satay Anyone?


Sweets Anyone?


How about fruits and vegetables?


OK – maybe some seafood?