A Belated International Thanksgiving

The following is a joint post from the team:


Throughout the week of Thanksgiving, John and Meredith were on a mission to get us a turkey. Despite being thousands of miles from home, we weren't going to let one of our country's great traditions go uncelebrated. The turkey odyssey began at the chicken coup in the corner of the market. Rumor had it there were some turkeys located in a nearby village, and John got on the phone to inform our would-be holiday bird suppliers, "We want the biggest, baddest gobbler you got." Within 2o minutes, our potential feast arrived, legs tied and strapped to back of a boda boda. The bird was handed to the Sound Man in order to assess quality; he grasped its leathery legs and held the specimen upside-down, pretending to gauge the weight with an up-and-down bobbing motion. "Hmmm..." He tried not to appear overanxious for the purchase, but simultaneously he cringed with the unforeseen pangs of a weighty conscience. Previously, our bearded microphone manager was unaware of the plights of our feather friends. In an act of grace, John pardoned the bird.

After a film crew meeting, the triumvirate determined that Thanksgiving dinner must not be abandoned so easily. But a key question became apparent, "Once we get the bird, who is going to kill it?" Meredith had prepared numerous chickens during her stint in the Dominican Republic, but she thought her counterparts should have to have the experience as well. John was still faint at heart from the turkey encounter the other day... and Michael was a little timid to take up the task, especially after watching the video of Dewan's holiday preparations. It was determined that there was only one way to solve this dilemma - Gin Rummy - a three-night game; loser makes the kill. It was agreed. Meredith took the early lead with Aces galore (15 points each) and never looked back. In the end, it was Michael who had to face the gruesome task. After he returned from Kampala, we ventured deep into the countryside surrounding Gulu town, and picked up the largest turkey we that could find.

Thankfully for Michael, the Italians had agreed to help us host the dinner at Lacor. With in 20 minutes of purchasing our bird, we arrived at the hospital's guesthouse, where Brother Carlo was quick to do the dirty job that we had all tried so hard to avoid. Preparing the bird was an all day affair. While telling stories of how his mother used to do it back in Parma, Carlo and Michael plucked the turkey then covered it in butter, sage, and a collection of local spices. The Italian radiologist had also put together a stuffing made of ingredients that he could rustle up from around the hospital grounds, which included sweet potatoes, pumpkin, and pineapple. It was remarkable, and the staff had a hard time not stealing spoonfuls at any opportune moment.

The fancy chocolate chips sent across the world by Mrs. Otremba were put to use by John, Meredith, and Luca (our Italian pediatrician friend) in order to top off the feast with some delicious cookies. Between the turkey and the cookies, it was hard to say what was the biggest crowd-pleaser for our international guests.

We hope that Luca summarized the sentiments of the guests from Canada, Italy, Australia, Uganda, and the United States with his tongue-in-cheek praise, stating, "This was my best Thanksgiving dinner ever."