Thanksgiving in the States,

I only remember that it’s actually Thanksgiving because, even after living in France for eight years, I still read the New York Times and have friends and family in the States.

When I first came here, I’d sometimes get together with other American ex-pats and we’d try to create a Thanksgiving meal; they never turned out very well and after a few years, we just stopped. Since I’m British, but lived in the US for years, I’ve never had strong feelings about this particular holiday. Although I love the food.

So no turkey here today, for me at least. On Thursdays the coquillage (shellfish) van comes to the village — mostly oysters, which I don’t buy because I’ve never mastered the knack of opening the bloody things — mussels which I love and sometimes an assortment of other strange shellfish the French enjoy; one looks like a spiked golf ball.

I sometimes buy mussels, a couple of euros buys enough for two, then walk up the road to the boulangerie for a baguette. It makes me feel very French. I used to just dump the mussels (moules here) into a big pot, splash in some white wine, a few garlic cloves and a sprinkle of herbes de provence which I use on everything. Good, but then I discovered Delia Online who has a fantastic recipe for mussels baked in the oven with garlic butter and lemon. Seriously good, definitely worth giving thanks for.

Not Delia’s mussels, but pretty good anyway.

I’ve been writing most of the day and I’m starving and too lazy to walk down to buy mussels. I did make a creme of root vegetable soup yesterday which I think I’ll heat up and call it dinner.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.