Two Thanksgivings

A New Kind of Thanksgiving

About two weeks into the semester, I realized that the NYU in Paris students had the misfortune of going to school on Thanksgiving and, better yet, I would have to spend the next day at a conference on the European Union. I was a little upset that I wouldn’t be spending the day cooking a delicious meal for some of my friends. However, looking back Thanksgiving in Paris was much better than expected.

The NYU staff here set up a great Thanksgiving dinner for us. It just happened to be on THE EIFFEL TOWER. While I’m not one to buy into eateries for the novelty, even I will admit that this was particularly cool. NYU rented out the upper level of the restaurant, where every table had a magnificent view of Paris. First we were served pumpkin soup with croutons and chestnuts. It was delicious and was a nice French ode to thanksgiving. The carnivores were served turkey with some accoutrements that were vaguely reminiscent of a traditional thanksgiving meal, while the vegetarians were served vegetables with a garlic emulsion. The meal ended with a pumpkin tartlet with vanilla chantilly crème. After a great meal and several glasses of wine and a delicious meal, it was very clear how lucky I was to be in Paris.

The next night, after a daylong conference on the European Union, I had a dinner party at my apartment. I didn’t want to miss out on cooking a Thanksgiving meal, so I decided to make some of my vegetarian favorites. We started out with a cheese plate, followed by an arugula salad with pears, Parmigiano, and Julia Child’s lemon dressing. Then I prepared risotto with truffle oil and ratatouille. Luckily the responsibility of dessert wasn’t entirely on me and my lovely friends brought macarons and tarte aux citron. I did, however, go to the American grocery store here so I could prepare a no-bake lemon cheesecake, which was pretty good if I say so myself. The night was great. It was really nice to sit around the table and talk with friends. It felt like a real Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving in Paris was certainly a different experience, however, it was a great experience. In a way, it seems very representative of my life here: part resident, part tourist. Since I’ve been here I’ve been trying to find my footing in this odd space, and I feel like I found it at the perfect time. 

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