View From Casita Colibrí

I’ve always liked Thanksgiving — and not just because, after I turned 12, my aunt would pour a little red wine in a shot glass for my cousin and me. It’s one of the least commercial US holidays, if one discounts the whole “black Friday” phenomenon. And, it isn’t wrapped in flag waving. It’s a day set aside for a communal sharing of Mother Nature’s bounty, counting our blessings, and acknowledging and giving thanks for the assistance of the dark-skinned original human inhabitants of the Americas. What a novel idea!

I will be sharing this day with my apartment complex neighbors and some of our favorite friends. We have completed our major shopping expeditions in search of fresh cranberries, brussel sprouts, Vidalia onions, and other ingredients not commonly found in Oaxaca to contribute to our feast. (Thank you, Mercado Hidalgo!) Two small turkeys (2 because none of our ovens are big enough to fit a 20 lb turkey) have been purchased and we will all be contributing a side dish or two. It’s a busy day in this neighborhood!

Besides being thankful for my loving and supportive family, wonderful friends (both old and new), dedicated and encouraging blog readers (Yes, you!), I’m extremely grateful for having the privilege of having a home living among people whose ancestors first cultivated corn 10,000 years ago in this beautiful valley.

And, not only corn, archaeologists have discovered evidence of turkey domestication 1,500 years ago in the valley of Oaxaca’s Mitla Fortress. According to Gary Feinman, Field Museum curator of Mesoamerican anthropology, “It’s a bird very, very similar to what a lot of people are going to eat on Thursday.”

My cranberry/pear relish is in the refrigerator chilling. However, before making the dressing, I’m headed off to join with Little Amal in a calenda down the Macedonio Alcalá from Santo Domingo de Guzmán to Catedral de Nuestra Señora de la Asunción — bringing her message of “hope for displaced people everywhere, especially children who have been separated from their families.”

¡Feliz Día de Acción de Gracias!