I was thrilled to accept an invitation from new friends and neighbors Lori and Mark to what turned out to be an international Thanksgiving. Celebrating with guests from other countries was a reminder that the U.S. is still a nation of immigrants whose work and arts make this country strong. I found it especially meaningful to sit down to dinner with people from countries like Germany, Poland and Portugal.
Our host Lori’s family is from Italy and husband Mark’s ancestors from Israel. Each guest spoke English with a different accent and enjoyed raising a glass to each other in our native tongues. Lori cheered us in Italian with “Salute.” Agnes, Yolanda and Baby Vinnie gave the Polish toast “Na zdrowie” while Maria, who speaks Portuguese, clinked our glasses with “Saúde.” Dora from Germany didn’t offer “Prosit.” Instead she cheered with the Hebrew toast, “L’chaim.” “I like the sound of those words,” she said. Mark agreed and also toasted with “L’chaim.” The guests did so well pronouncing “Sláinte,” that I was tempted to share the well-known “Go mbeirimid beo ar an seo aris” (May we all be alive at this time next year). It’s a bit long to repeat when you’ve never heard it before so I stayed with “Sláinte.” After the toast, it was time to remove Lori’s crochet turkey party favor from our plates and make room for the food.
With great teamwork Mark roasted the turkey and Lori prepared stuffing and side dishes. Yolanda’s Polish-style carrots and beets added an international touch to the feast.
While engaging in light conversation about family, work and weather, we bonded. I was delighted when Dora volunteered to give me a lift to Trader Joe’s when she goes shopping.
Yolonda took me up on my offer to teach English to anyone who wants lessons. We’re set to start classes in January. Lori smiled, commenting later that she was delighted with this bonding of goodwill and neighborliness among her friends. And I thought that there is truth to the line from the prayer of St. Francis: “It is in giving that we receive.”
After eating our fill, conversation came to a halt when Lori’s cheesecake (her late mom’s recipe) appeared with its luscious graham cracker crust (made by Mark) and homemade whipped cream on the side. I wasn’t the only one who ate a huge slice. If any reader wants the recipe, email me and I’ll be glad to send it (mauramulligan at aol).
As a follow up to Thanksgiving and because I’m always grateful for the opportunities I’ve found since coming to this country over 60 years ago, I volunteered English lessons at a local nail salon, on “Giving Tuesday.” Having spent a good part of my life teaching English to immigrants in New York City Public Schools, it was natural for me to do so. Two monolingual Spanish-speaking salon workers were delighted to take me up on my offer. After practicing how to introduce ourselves, we worked on useful vocabulary such as words for nails, hands and the various colors of nail polish on offer. The two enjoyed a mini TPR (Total Physical Response) lesson, which featured walking around the salon to identify various items including Christmas decorations. They enjoyed the lesson and were so sincerely grateful, I offered to return again the next week.
Writing this I’m reminded about how immigrants and their descendants made incalculable contributions in politics, industry, organized labor, cuisine, literature, music, and art. May we continue to do so.
