June 30th Prompt

When I was abroad in Madrid, Spain, my friends and I celebrated Thanksgiving. What made this special was the fact that our differences brought us together. We were celebrating Thanksgiving in a different country and we were sharing a part of our culture to other peers from different countries. It was a bit difficult to find a whole turkey and all of the staples that we may be used to in the United States. However, this allowed us to improvise and make the dinner unique. This Thanksgiving became a sharing of different foods, and I enjoyed the process it took to accomplish this Thanksgiving dinner. We had Italian food, Spanish food, a homemade pie, a desert from Australia, baked asparagus, homemade garlic bread, turkey breast, Jewish cuisine, and some really great wine. We all met at my friend’s flat that she shared with other international students, we cooked and baked together, and explained what each of us did for this celebration. For those who had never celebrated, they shared with us similar holidays or how they ate with their families, and the image of Thanksgiving that they envisioned. The Spanish language brought all of us together. My fondest memories included cooking and watching how all of our different cultures and differences actually connected us. This meal with friends whom I knew prior and with people I met that day ended up being not only nourishing and nostalgic, but gave me a sense of community that was created through food.