The $20 Turkey and other Holiday Tales.

One way to lessen the transition from one culture to another is to continue to celebrate some of the important dates that were unique to your previous culture. One of the most American of holidays is Thanksgiving, and this will be our third year celebrating it here in Kiev.

There are often challenges to celebrating a holiday from a prior culture in a different country. Since most celebrations involve food, you may find yourself looking for foods that are not common, or are out of season. The quintessential Thanksgiving food is turkey, but finding turkey in Kiev in November can be a challenge. We know now that the only real way to get one is to go to a supermarket a week in advance and have them obtain one for you. And expect to pay for the privilege.

Another challenge, should you accept it, is a traditional Thanksgiving pie, whether pumpkin or apple or something else. I haven't yet found pies like Mom used to make in the stores, so we've tried the make it yourself way. My wife, being native to this part of the world, does not have a recipe, so we went to American websites to find one. That was the easy part. Finding some of the ingredients to make the pie is not so easy. The one we have yet to find is shortening. Yes, vegetable shortening, like Crisco. It's something that Americans take for granted, but unheard of in these parts. Not that that's a bad thing, mind you, with the likely connection between hydrogenated oils, like vegetable shortening and heart disease. There are strict limits on hydrogenated oils in many parts of Europe, and some countries have banned them outright. But it's just another challenge to overcome.

Another is that while Thanksgiving and often the next day are days off in the US, both are normal working days in most other countries. If you intend to invite others over for your celebration, remember that Friday evening will be a lot more convenient for most guests. And maybe for you too.

The challenge to maintaining traditions from your prior country of residence comes down to this: Plan early, be flexible, and accept that it may not be exactly what you've been accustomed to.

Technorati Tags: Kiev, Kiev Basics, Kiev Life, Kyiv, old traditions, Ukraine