-^-for posterity-^-

thanksgiving in vietnam. agh, what to eat...

for breakfast, instead of a nice, raisin bagel with cream-cheese and a strong cup of black coffee or maybe two eggs over-easy with rye toast and butter or instead of chipped beef on toast with a side of hash browns, i ate a bowl of noodles. there were small strips of pork on top which had cooled in the morning sun. they were tough but eatable. the whole thing was covered with fish sauce, which smells of old socks, and spicy, ground up chili. i did have a cup of coffee, but it wasn't hot.

for lunch, instead of a slice of turkey with moist stuffing covered with rich, brown gravy, instead of mashed potatoes a little chunky with a slab of butter, instead of creamed corn or beans, instead of cranberry sauce or pickles, i had rice. i had three bowls of rice with small pieces of pork. the pork was also cool after sitting out for a few hours. we also had soup. it's not really soup, rather pieces of vegetables boiled in water. you can dip them in fish sauce and they're not that bad.

for supper, instead of a slice of pizza with mushrooms and peppers where the cheese slides off onto your plate, instead of a cold turkey sandwich with bbq chips and a side of applesauce, we had what we could to replicate thanksgiving. we ate fish and onion rings. we ate couple different fish dishes. some of them were covered in a sauce, some of them were just fried and some of them were boiled. the onion rings are a complete anomaly and they remind me of home. we ate a couple of plates of onion rings.

i wasn't able to watch the detroit lions get pummeled or pass out on a sofa after eating, instead, i've returned home and continued working. i miss home. i miss the tradition that thanksgiving is. i miss my family and friends. missing them doesn't feel like a sharp, burning pain in the side, no, missing them feels like a dull ach in the back of your soul that doesn't ever quite go away. it's always there. you can ignore it if you choose, which i do most of the time, but a day like thanksgiving brings it all to the forefront.

well, know that i love you all. i wish you all the happiest thanksgiving you've ever had. eat until you are stuffed. pass out on the sofa in front of the tv. watch the lions get trounced and eat a cold turkey sandwich with bbq chips and applesauce for me.

happy thanksgiving.