Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is my holiday. I like to cook and I like to eat. So it is a little tragic that this is the second year in a row where we do not celebrate Thanksgiving. For the last 12 or 15 years, we hosted Thanksgiving. It was always SWMBO's family and usually some members of mine converging on our house for a few days of caloric excess. Typically it would commence with French Onion soup which is my brother in law's favorite for lunch after he would arrive. Dinner the night before would always be a Bronto-slab of standing rib roast (bone in) and potato dauphinois. Thanksgiving was the traditional turkey with sides and a toxic amount of dessert.

I am glad that while my daughter was growing up, she had a traditional family holiday like this and I feel bad that the last couple of years have interrupted it. We talked a little about trying to do the holiday at her place in Arizona, but it didnt make sense this year. I know we will reinstate the annual tradition when we return to the US but I cant help but feel like we have missed a precious opportunity these last two.

Missing traditions is one of the unanticipated consequences of living abroad. It is not like we couldnt have stayed in the US a few extra days and had a Thanksgiving, but it would not have been the same. For me, Thanksgiving is about cooking for the people I care about and spending time with them. It would be hard to watch someone else roasting the bird and not want to jump in.  So here I sit, having just had SWMBO's shepherd's pie and watching the Lions and Packers on ESPN America. Not quite the same thing, but it will have to do. Maybe next year we can find a creative solution.

Busy Busy

It has been a busy few weeks. I originally thought that I would be spending some time in the US on business but was rerouted to Korea and Japan instead. It was my first time in Korea, but being that I spent less than 36 hours in country, all I can really say is that it was like San Jose except with more coffee shops.

Japan was essentially the same as it was the last time that I was there. Maybe a bit more expensive. I like Japan. The food is tasty and yet healthy at the same time. The people are extremely nice and helpful. Traffic is insane. On this trip what should have been a one hour cab ride to the airport turned into a two and a half hour gauntlet of wrecked vehicles. I probably should have taken the train, but my colleagues in Tokyo made my taxi arrangements and I did not want to seem ungrateful. As it was, I walked up to my gate as boarding started, so no damage done.

While in Japan I did have the opportunity to wander around a little bit in the evening with some of my colleagues. Mostly we wound up at fairly touristy spots but it was good to see other parts of Tokyo.

Returning to Belgium, I was home for all of 16 hours and then SWMBO and I drove to Reims in the Champagne region of France. We had a four day weekend that turned into a three day weekend due to my Asia trip, so we tried to make the most of the time that we had.

Reims and the Champagne region as a whole was great. Driving there from Brussels took us through some beautiful rolling fields. The wine region itself is quite picturesque as well. And as would be expected, the food is really good too. We partook of our share of champagne during the trip and I have to say, as an American, i dont think we do it justice as a wine. Champagne is really good with food. The acidity cuts through rich foods, which is about all you get in this part of the world. We also found several that were quite reasonably priced and excellent.

My travel schedule through the end of the year is similarly insane. SWMBO and I head to Venice on Thursday and then follow that with a trip to the US. We will be home briefly and then I am off to Australia. I will try to keep up with my posts and perhaps review a beer or two.