Miss Bond's Ugandan Thanksgiving Shenanigans

December 5th,

My very good friend from the United States, Miss Carrie Bond and I were corresponding via Internet about the upcoming holiday season. Some would describe Carrie as a holiday-aholic. She inspired me to fully celebrate this year's festivities regardless of my location in the world. I sat the sisters at Bishop Asili Hospital down and explained the who's, what's, where's, when's, why's and how's of the traditional Thanksgiving feast in the United States of America. They were quite pleased with the concept of coming together to honor all we have to be thankful for and they were equally intrigued with the idea of spending an entire day eating, drinking, napping and watching football. And so it began........

One of my most favorite people in the universe....Miss Carrie Bond. Isn't she cute!

Tessa Davis and Cynthia Murray, PCV prepping for the upcoming Thanksgiving feast
If you want a pumpkin pie in Africa, then you have got to do it from scratch. Luckily, pumpkins are one of the most common foods grown in Uganda, particularly at this time of year.
Unfortunately, they are much more difficult than the pumpkins in the United States to carve into, so jack o lanterns are out of the question. If Carrie Bond were here she would pull it off. Oh you don't believe me? She really is a jack o lantern carving genius.

Carrie Bond's genius pumpkin carving outcome
Tessa's less than genius pumpkin carving outcomeOur hope was to find a nice traditional turkey for our Thanksgiving feast. The sisters searched in vain. They couldn't find a bird for less than $40.00 due to the fact that it's dry season and the turkey population is low. We decided to settle for these two lovely chickens.

Cynthia Murray, PCV and Tessa Davis holding up their Thanksgiving birds

Dearest Chicken, I apologize in advance for what is about to become of you. BAMBI! (sorry in Luganda).
There are no frozen turkey aisles in Uganda, so if you want a bird with your feast you've got to do the dirty work yourself.

Annook is one of the grounds keepers of the Bishop Asili Hospital compound. He has been killing chickens his whole life. He assured me that they didn't suffer much.

hmmmm maybe we should have opted for a vegetarian Thanksgiving. But you see that would never do in Uganda. Within this context you are definitely not having a true celebration and most certainly not a feast if you aren't serving some kind of meat. Chicken in particular is considered a special treat in Uganda.
I could have just shown you pictures of the chickens cooked, but then you would have missed the reality on the ground here at Bishop Asili. Now for plucking the feathers.
Ready to be cooked!! What an undertaking!!
Ahhhh yes...much better.
Janka and Annika who are German volunteers working here at Bishop Asili invited others from their organization to take part in the festivities. They had never heard about Thanksgiving before, so it was an educational experience for all involved.

Johanna of the organization, Caritas Hildesheim helps to set the table
Chicken, stuffing, gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes (local with marshmallows), mashed potatoes, sweet corn, deviled eggs, rolls, olives, cranberry sauce, wine and pumpkin pie. Lovely! Here's to you Miss Bond. Sister Ernestine Akulu enjoying her Thanksgiving feast. Tbe stuffing was her favorite.Not only did Cynthia and I educate everyone on the history and tradition of the American Thanksgiving holiday, but we also explained all of the various foods on the table and how they were prepared.

Sister Angela eats her first black olive ever. She's hooked.
Cynthia and I were thankful that we could share such a lovely feast and educational experience with so many wonderful people. We were quite the melting pot of culture, race and religion. The only person missing was Miss Bond, but I have a feeling she was right there celebrating with us in spirit.

Tessa Davis, Akware Judith (friend from my PC village), Cynthia MurrayOur guests had never tasted pumpkin pie before. It was by far the greatest hit and such a joy to watch the looks on everyone's faces as they took their first bites. I think I can safely declare this Thanksgiving feast an ultimate success!! Thank you for the inspiration Miss Bond.