thanksgiving, ecua-style

I think being away from my family on Thanksgiving is more difficult than Christmas, and I suspect this is due to the fact that here in Ecuador the day passes without notice. Thanksgiving does not exist here. Yesterday, for all intents and purposes, was just another day--went to school, stayed late for musical rehearsal, went to the grocery, went out to an Italian restaurant for a friend's birthday. The school did provide a very nice semi-traditional lunch for all the staff, potluck-style, and the foreign hire teachers were responsible for the mashed potatoes. (Last year I spent a lot of time making the real deal, but cheated this year and bought the boxed instant potatoes--they dump them all into one big pot anyway.) Other than the school luncheon, no one really does anything to celebrate the day.

Today we have a half day, in honor of the North American holiday, Black Friday (kidding), and so my friends and I are gathering for a big traditional meal this evening. I'm making the turkey, dressing, and dessert (pumpkin cheesecake.) Finding the ingredients here is not always super easy, which is why I'm scrapping the traditional pie for a much-easier-to-make-cheesecake. The pumpkin puree itself is not easy to come by, and therefore I purchased some squash-like cubes in the grocery store yesterday which I cooked and pureed. I'm pretty sure it's not pumpkin, but any squash with enough cinnamon and nutmeg should do the trick. I fully expect this dinner to be much like my life here: a nod to the traditions I was raised with but with a slightly South American flavor.