- Joined
- Jan 24, 2012
- Messages
- 621
This is probably going to get long, just a warning. 
A bit of background:
As many of you may already know, I'm Portuguese. Now, I'm actually pretty well-learned in regards to some everyday things US-based members are used to, even if I never had first-hand contact with them, but of course, different cultures, different settings, and some things will inevitably bring about a bit of intrigue/awkwardness. For example, for me eating Froot Loops was a new and interesting experience that I don't know when I'll be able to repeat again (sooooo much sweeter than the usual cereal brands around here, btw), whereas for most of the TP's US-based members it's as common as brushing your hair in the morning.
This extends to holidays as well. Our Mother's and Father's Day don't fall in the same days as in the US, Halloween has only started gaining prominence since the mid-2000s due to globalization taking effect (just the "decorating everything and dressing up on October 31st" part, though, no trick-or-treating), and Thanksgiving is, well, non-existant.
Which has always kind of made me scratch my head a bit. And I do mean "always", as in "since I was a kid".
When I was 4, I got a VHS tape of something called "Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet". It's a TV special that aired in the 70s, IIRC. I loved it, mostly because when I was a kid I loved ANYTHING Bugs Bunny, but as years went by and I learned how to read the subtitles, I realized: I had no idea what this "Thanksgiving" was. I knew it was a holiday, and that it had something to do with food, but I was extremely confused at the fact that it just wasn't celebrated, didn't show up anywhere in calendars, and that the few people around me that were familiar with it didn't know when it was.
As I grew older, I learned a bit more about it, but all in all, I still am quite uneducated about Thanksgiving. I could just do a Wikipedia search, but that's no fun, really. So in the spirit of cultural exchange, I wanted to ask my fellow US and Canada-based members of the TP about this holiday that remained a mystery to me throughout so many years, but seems like such a big deal over there. What it's about, its history, what do you do, what's on the menu (I know about the turkey and cranberry sauce, but that's as far as my knowledge takes me), what you like about it... Basically anything you think relevant to tell someone who's never celebrated the holiday.
Maybe one day later I can tell you all about a Portuguese holiday or something to even it out!
A bit of background:
As many of you may already know, I'm Portuguese. Now, I'm actually pretty well-learned in regards to some everyday things US-based members are used to, even if I never had first-hand contact with them, but of course, different cultures, different settings, and some things will inevitably bring about a bit of intrigue/awkwardness. For example, for me eating Froot Loops was a new and interesting experience that I don't know when I'll be able to repeat again (sooooo much sweeter than the usual cereal brands around here, btw), whereas for most of the TP's US-based members it's as common as brushing your hair in the morning.
This extends to holidays as well. Our Mother's and Father's Day don't fall in the same days as in the US, Halloween has only started gaining prominence since the mid-2000s due to globalization taking effect (just the "decorating everything and dressing up on October 31st" part, though, no trick-or-treating), and Thanksgiving is, well, non-existant.
Which has always kind of made me scratch my head a bit. And I do mean "always", as in "since I was a kid".
When I was 4, I got a VHS tape of something called "Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet". It's a TV special that aired in the 70s, IIRC. I loved it, mostly because when I was a kid I loved ANYTHING Bugs Bunny, but as years went by and I learned how to read the subtitles, I realized: I had no idea what this "Thanksgiving" was. I knew it was a holiday, and that it had something to do with food, but I was extremely confused at the fact that it just wasn't celebrated, didn't show up anywhere in calendars, and that the few people around me that were familiar with it didn't know when it was.
As I grew older, I learned a bit more about it, but all in all, I still am quite uneducated about Thanksgiving. I could just do a Wikipedia search, but that's no fun, really. So in the spirit of cultural exchange, I wanted to ask my fellow US and Canada-based members of the TP about this holiday that remained a mystery to me throughout so many years, but seems like such a big deal over there. What it's about, its history, what do you do, what's on the menu (I know about the turkey and cranberry sauce, but that's as far as my knowledge takes me), what you like about it... Basically anything you think relevant to tell someone who's never celebrated the holiday.
Maybe one day later I can tell you all about a Portuguese holiday or something to even it out!
