This year I celebrated Thanksgiving in Melbourne, Australia with my sister’s Aussie in-laws, the Sweeneys. The holiday fell on the last day of a 10-day adventure through Melb. and Sydney with my cousins Matt & Ali.
First thing to note is that Thanksgiving means nothing in Australia. Its not a holiday, so over the 10 days of travel as we mentioned our plans for a giant feast we got some odd stares. I had sent a box ahead to SueSweeney, the chef extraordinaire, so that she had the essentials that are difficult to find outside the US: non-metric measuring cups, pumpkin spice, Thanksgiving decorations, cranberry sauce, stuffing mix, etc.
News that SueSweeney would be cooking an American Thanksgiving dinner spread quickly through Melb. and soon the guest list topped 26 people – the largest group ever to assemble for a meal at the Sweeney abode.
We had the Sweeneys + Darren, the Electric Jellyfish + girlfriends and groupies, the Tzimokas fam, friends, friends, friends, and the Americans
Now SueSweeney is quite accomplished in the kitchen and loves to cook, but the thought of cooking a completely foreign meal for 26 was a bit daunting. Ali and I were fully prepared to help as much we could – we pictured ourselves chopping, peeling, cutting and prepping up a storm so the pro could work her magic.
However, when we arrived at the house, SueSweeney gave us a tour of the kitchen:
- It was spotless (we made the mess in pic above – messy Americans!)
- Everything was already prepped (as in, the carrots were peeled and cut, the potatoes were peel, cut and boiled waiting to be mashed, the lettuce was washed and chopped and everything was in its own Tupperware container waiting to be prepared)
- By 9am Thanksgiving morning Sue had already baked Pavlova, chocolate fudge cake and 2 pumpkin pies (she is a machine!)
Beyond impressed, we asked to see the turkey (which had been special ordered since most grocery stores/butchers don’t stock whole turkeys). I could not contain my laughter when SueSweeney pulled the bird out of the fridge – it looked like a rotisserie chicken and was a mere 3 kilos. 3 kilos! That’s only 6.6 lbs. To feed 26 people (my parents had a 24 lbs. to feed 17). Ha!
Luckily there were also a few whole chickens. Additionally, the meal included:
- mounds of mashed potatoes
- tomato, onion casserole goodness
- sautéed carrots
- green beans and cherry tomatoes
- stuffing and rolls
- 3 varieties of cranberry sauce (c/o my mother’s efforts)
- and a delish salad
Needless to say, SueSweeney outdid herself.
At the start of the meal the Americans explained a bit about the holiday and once everyone was served we went around the table and each person said what they were thankful for. This was at the request of the Aussies actually – my fam has never done this tradition.
We ended the night with obligatory shots of Bundy (“rum” that pretty much tastes like drain cleaner) and fresh passion-fruit.
It was a great meal with even better company. And the Aussies were stoked to have participated in a real Thanksgiving celebration.
*We had a few guests convinced for awhile that there was also a Thanksgiving Eve Bonfire Holiday and that it was traditional to give Thanksgiving gifts! Haha!
I DIG IT!!!!!!!