A Sakura Story: Thanksgiving in the Tropics

Thanksgiving in the Tropics

About a month before Thanksgiving I started to get really homesick. We had such a wonderful time with family back in Seattle for Thanksgiving last year. But this year we had no plans to celebrate and I just don't think I could have handled Kingsley and I just sitting in Singapore on Thanksgiving with nothing planned.

So, I decided to ask a few of our American friends what they had planned and it turned out that many of our friends had nothing scheduled. That of course somehow snowballed into inviting everyone to our place for Thanksgiving. A total of 16 of our friends said yes to the invitation which lead to a minor panic because there is no way we could fit 18 people in our condo and certainly no way I could prepare a meal for a group that large with my tiny (temperamental) oven.

We decided we had to take the dinner outside to the BBQ pits by the Koi Pond and by combining two BBQ areas together I was just able to make a table long enough for 18 guests. The only issue would be if it rained...and it is currently rainy season in Singapore... so I knew the likelihood of rain was high. I was just hoping to somehow beat the odds...this did not happen but more on that later.

Everyone graciously signed up to bring different food items and my friend Bonnie agreed to come over Thanksgiving day to help me cook. I don't know what I would have done without her!

Bonnie and I had such a fun time preparing the food all afternoon and the kitchen smelled amazing. There was not a cloud in the sky outside and we had the Macy's day parade playing on the TV. Everything was perfect.

Of course a massive storm rolled through and the torrential rain began at about 4pm and continued till around 6:30pm. Everyone was suppose to arrive at 6pm so Kingsley, Bonnie and I got ourselves completely drenched running back and forth carrying items for the dinner down to the Koi Pond. It is understatement to say it was a stressful afternoon but we somehow managed to set the table just in time before everyone started arriving with their umbrellas and hot dishes.

Despite the early rain, the entire evening turned out perfect. The food was amazing, seriously. I know everyone always says that Thanksgiving meals are great but having everyone bring their special family Thanksgiving recipe meant that every dish was incredible. Kingsley and I ate so much we could hardly move after the dinner.

Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time and Kingsley and I felt so Thankful for the special friendships that we have made in Singapore. It meant a lot to have everyone together to celebrate. Thanksgiving dinner is not a task I am planning to sign up for every year but I am so happy we were able to host this year.