Most people did not seem like they wanted to talk about their Thanksgivings back at the office today. Most colleagues grunted or avoided the topic completely.  In fact, the most I really heard was a few family gatherings where the family was feeling so-so about being around each other, maybe they looked forward to seeing one baby cousin or niece, the food was pretty good, but the turkey was terrible (so many  people I know seem to dislike turkey and say it’s flavorless sadly). It was just extra time to zone out, post and look at social media, and pretend that they were having quality “family time.”

So a lot of people wanted to ask how my Thanksgiving in Portugal was. I shared with them what I ate, the castles and palaces we visited, and how delicious the bread, wine, and cheese was. I told them of the other American families I met during our travels and how they were taking advantage of Thanksgiving week to have an “alternative” Thanksgiving by exploring another country and culture. And, to kind of stick to them, I told them I had already had my “Thanksgiving meal” weeks before and had made a delicious Cantonese-barbeque style roasted turkey that everyone agreed was delicious, and would be using the carcass this week to make rich turkey stock for turkey jook/congee, among other delicious soups.

Yep, when it comes to who had the best Thanksgiving, I think I win at work.