It's not quite Thanksgiving, but our church ladies gathered today to learn a new way of preparing chicken. One of our church members has a large home that can accommodate 20 people in the kitchen at once (and a couple little dogs and American missionary)! Quite remarkable for Japan where most kitchens are smaller than a walk-in closet. And the kitchen always seems spacious compared to the bathroom. Which is a lot more spacious than the driveway (I am now fully qualified to park within centimeters of any fixed object). But I digress...
I marvel at the way that a simple cooking class can gather people together. Several of the ladies are not Christians, but find nothing uncomfortable about gathering for a Christian cook and his salvation testimony, and of course a great meal afterwards.
Now you might be wondering if the Lavermans celebrate Thanksgiving in Japan. The truth is that the holiday has escaped us uncelebrated more than once. Outside of American culture and away from the barrage of media and pushy retailing, we've simply forgotten about it. Besides, it would be tricky to cook even part of a turkey in the tiny fish fryer under the range (Japan's version of an oven). This year, however, we have our sights fixed on a run to Costco. Yes, they have a few of these American warehouse clubs here in Tokyo. And they sell pumpkin pie around the holidays. I might even break out the can of cranberry sauce smuggled from the States. Anyone want to send us onion rings for the bean casserole? Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
It's not quite Thanksgiving, but our church ladies gathered today to learn a new way of preparing chicken. One of our church members has a large home that can accommodate 20 people in the kitchen at once (and a couple little dogs and American missionary)! Quite remarkable for Japan where most kitchens are smaller than a walk-in closet. And the kitchen always seems spacious compared to the bathroom. Which is a lot more spacious than the driveway (I am now fully qualified to park within centimeters of any fixed object). But I digress...
Now you might be wondering if the Lavermans celebrate Thanksgiving in Japan. The truth is that the holiday has escaped us uncelebrated more than once. Outside of American culture and away from the barrage of media and pushy retailing, we've simply forgotten about it. Besides, it would be tricky to cook even part of a turkey in the tiny fish fryer under the range (Japan's version of an oven). This year, however, we have our sights fixed on a run to Costco. Yes, they have a few of these American warehouse clubs here in Tokyo. And they sell pumpkin pie around the holidays. I might even break out the can of cranberry sauce smuggled from the States. Anyone want to send us onion rings for the bean casserole? Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
