Emily in France 🇫🇷 Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving, wherever you are.

Years ago, when I was still working in French food television, I filmed a short documentary about people who celebrate Thanksgiving in Paris. While many were expats, some were locals, enticed by images of the bountiful tables they found on blogs and Pinterest. They replicated everything, down to the pumpkin pie with cinnamon – two things fairly foreign to French palates. The one thing they couldn't quite wrap their heads around? The tradition of going around and saying what they were thankful for.

"I'm not religious," they'd say – not just these French people I interviewed, but French friends, invitees at my yearly Thanksgiving pot lucks.
"Neither is this," I'd reply.
"So who are we thanking, if not God?"
"No one. We're just saying what we're thankful for."
"Yes, yes. But thankful to whom?"

The idea of giving thanks to no one was too foreign for the French. But despite my thirteen years here, and despite the fact that in recent years, I've spent Thanksgiving exploring Eastern Europe with my aunt rather than digging into turkey and trimmings... I still like this tradition.

This year, Thanksgiving looks different for a lot of people. But this is one thing we can all still do, no matter where we are (or what we're eating).

I, for one, am thankful for my health and that of those close to me. I'm thankful for friends who have been like family, and family I would have chosen as friends. I'm thankful for piles of books to read and think about; I'm thankful for projects that have kept me sane these long months. I'm thankful for the healthcare professionals and scientists who have worked hard to stymy the effects of this virus. I'm thankful for the efforts of people around the globe to sacrifice togetherness so that we can keep one another safe.

I wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving, wherever you may be.
 

Things I'm Writing

1. If you're planning on a smaller Thanksgiving this year, this guide may help! For Organic Authority.
  2. Pre-lockdown, I finally made it to the country hotel of D'Une Ile, and it was everything I'd hoped it would be. For the blog.

3. Casseroles are making a comeback – and they look a bit different than the childhood fave. For AllRecipes.

Things I'm Reading

1. Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl is Orlando for a new generation.

2. The Washington Post asked people to describe how their Thanksgivings would be different this year. This is what they said.

3. Can history predict the future? One former ecologist is convinced it can. In the Atlantic.

A bientôt !

Emily in France