When I firsted started doing Thanksgiving in Madrid, Pedro and I would usually go to a restaurant. Then I started organizing group meals in a restaurant, which we did for a couple years, at Tony Roma's near the Real Madrid stadium. This was followed by a year at my friends Sam and Josue's, again with a special multinational cast, Basques flown in from France included that year. Then it was two years at fellow American Miriam the vegetarian's, who bravely put up with my turkey shenanigans in the kitchen, and whose husband very valiantly dealt with a headful turkey the year I forgot to check whether they'd cut it off for me! (Miriam headed to the balcony, I shouted support from the kitchen, and Josue Luis battled the poor bird.)
These years featured a high American quotient, which was fairly unprecedented. A couple of times, I had been the only American present. People generally seem quite curious about the event and want to give it a try, and I enjoy sharing my favorite holiday with all and sundry.
This year was again at Tony Roma's, as I've just been feeling too overwhelmed by life to sort a meal out. We had to go to another of their restaurants, and the results weren't as good, although everyone had a great time regardless. Red wine on a weeknight'll do that for you, I find!
There was one other American present, Alex from Vermont, who's just started at the BLC this year and speaks fluent Spanish. There he is,
with dorky-looking me.
Alex was sat next to Beth from England, who's doing a French-English translation course but doesn't speak much Spanish. She was sat next to Jaime, Faye-of-France-fame's boyfriend, who is having a great time in level 2 English class with
Singing Grammar, and who somehow manages to communicate with Beth just fine, as she lives with them.
Jaime is next to Turkey Thanksgivingday mainstays Sam and Josue, an English-Spanish couple who are both fully bilingual. They're the only ones, besides me, to have been to every meal. Then between Sam and I was
Faye, who is looking very askance at her "potatoes", which had neither been potatoes in the recent past nor were they actually warm.
After a dirty glass disaster, and the decision to not even mention the dubious cleanliness of the plates, etc., we started out with a lovely "Union Salad", which required a description on the menu, as clearly no real 'Merikan has actually heard of such a thing. The Turkey Thanksgivingday itself was quite nice, but only accompanied by the aforementioned severly dodgy potatoes, a cabbage beet concoction which was good, and a raisin and berry sort of chutney, which I've had before and which, despite not being actual cranberry sauce, is very tasty. I used to make tubs of cranberry sauce and take them along, but didn't this year, which I think Josue was disappointed at.
I'd already made pecan pie for work, so the fact that desert was VERY COLD apple pie, well really apple tart, didn't matter match. Despite it's chilliness, it tasted nice, and a little coffee and
patxaran do wonders for a chilly stomach. The service was good, and cute, and kept us supplied with alcohol, so despite the place's dishwashing and heating foibles, we had a nice evening.
