Thanksgiving in Prague

Even though this last trip has been pretty uniformly amazing (and, typically, I was in no mood to go and was almost dreading it), I think the most memorable experience was spending time - and getting an unexpected Thanksgiving dinner - with some amazing folks in Prague. I was visiting the Anglo-American University (more on that later) and talking to the director of international programming, Milada, when I mentioned that one of my goals for the day, it being Thanksgiving, was to find a place to grab a turkey dinner. I told her that last year in St. Petersburg my Russian friends told me that Russians just didn't do turkey. Now, what I should have thought of at the time but didn't until this trip, was that the logic approach would have been to figure out where the most popular expat bars/restaurants are and go there - figuring that they would produce a turkey dinner for their American expats. When I proposed this idea to Milada she grabbed a passing professor, who turned out to be American, and asked him where the best expat American bars are - and thus I was introduced to Ted Turneu, a truly extraordinarily nice guy. He's an American and he and his family have lived in Prague for years. He informed me that there were a couple great choices, but they had both recently closed - and then he invited me to come to his house for Thanksgiving. To say that I was floored is an understatement. I told him that he was entirely too kind and that I was trying to connive my way into a Thanksgiving meal - he laughed and told me that it was an annual tradition at his house and that I'd be joined by forty other people (it turned out to be fifty). Since he was rushing off to class he wrote directions to his house on a small sheet of paper and handed it to me. I didn't know if I would end up going because I still have business to take care of with Milada, and then make it on to the University of Economics Prague - let alone figure out the directions on his slip of papers (which included a couple trips on the Metro and then a tram ride and then a walk). Nevertheless, I decided to give it a whirl and I'm so glad I did. At the house I had a chance to talk to Ted's wife Carolyn, the founder of the feast, and their daughters Claire and Ruth. And about fifty other people. Some of them were Americans, but most were international students and faculty who wanted to see what all of this famous Ameircan gluttony is about. Apparently it's an annual tradition at his place that just keeps going. Carolyn said that the first few years they actually tracked down a frozen turkey, which turned out horribly. But then they discovered some woman who lived outside Prague who actually grows turkeys. This year's turkey was over 23 pounds and there was some initial concern that the bird was simply too big for the smallerish Czech oven and that they might have to try and partially cave in the bird's chest cavity. Luckily, everything fit, and the bird was delicious, and I thoroughly enjoined Carolyn's special family recipe of "drunken onions." Oh, and one of the American students whipped up a strawberry shortcake, one of a number of wonderful desserts. I will never forget this Thanksgiving. For a lonely soul, far away from home, it was truly something to be thankful for.