Canadian Thanksgiving

This past weekend I went with Yilin to her parents' house outside of Montreal (in the town of Rigaud), as it was Thanksgiving in Canada and her brother would be home from college. It was a rather long drive up on Saturday as the rain slowed everything down by a good 10-15mph which translates into an extra hour to an hour and a half. That was long forgotten when dinner arrived on the table. We ate a number of traditional Chinese dishes, none of which I know the real names.

There was spicy chicken with peppers, a seaweed salad, a tofu dish, bean sprouts, plenty of rice, a noodle dish that Yilin loves, and pig's feet. (Of course, I may need to update this list if Yilin informs me of anything I forgot or got wrong; my food memory only lasts about 1 day.) I ate so much that I was in pain, which is par for the course on Thanksgiving. Just when I thought I might rupture my stomach, her mom brings out a pumpkin pie and ice cream. Naturally, I flex my abs to keep my stomach under pressure and down a slice. It didn't take long fot the food coma to overtake me, rendering me useless for all but target practice.

On Sunday we drove into Montreal for church. There we then met up with her brother and went to Chinatown for lunch. Yilin and her mom remembered that it was Taiwan National Day (at least that is what I think it is called), which explained the parade and firecrackers everywhere. Lunch was at a really good Chinese restaurant, where I stuffed myself. (That was the general theme of the weekend.)

I went with Yilin and her mom to do a little clothes shoppnig for Yilin (she wanted a shirt that her mom had, so she was going to buy one just like it). Unfortunately, the 'system' was down, so no credit card or debit card payments could be processed, so she didn't get the shirt.

We then went to visit Dayana and Artur, who were preparing a Thanksgiving feast. She was trying out a turkey recipe which calls for brining the bird overnight, letting it sit in the open air in the fridge to dry the skin overnight, and then roasting the thing for 2.5 hours. The idea is that the salt and drying will make the skin crispy, yet keep the turkey moist. (She has since told me that it worked wonderfully.) It was so good to see Dayana again, even if it was only for a couple of hours.

After a good dinner that night back in Rigaud, we lit a fire in the fireplace and relaxed until heading off to bed. Monday morning meant breakfast, a drive into Montreal for lunch at a great patisserie (that's French/Quebecois for "bakery"), and off to NYC. Of course, it rained most of the way, slowing everything down. We got back at about 8:30pm, turning the car in just in time.

Suffice it to say, I can't wait to go back! (But in the winter next time.)