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Hunting for Thanksgiving in Ottawa

Of all the holidays I adopted in Canada, Thanksgiving is probably the one I like best. Fall is a gorgeous season in Ontario and the weather is usually very nice at the time of the year. The holiday is just before Mark’s and Feng’s birthdays, so we spend a week celebrating stuff. Besides, unlike Halloween or Boxing Day, Thanksgiving is not hugely commercial. Sure, supermarket aisles feature all the fixings you need for your Thanksgiving dinner, but you’re not expected to decorate your front lawn with fake glow-in-the-dark turkeys and you aren’t pressured into buying seasonal gifts, clothing or accessories. It’s a nice change, compared to Halloween, Christmas or even Easter.

Technically, Thanksgiving is all about a large family gathering around a meal. We miss the main ingredient—a large family to help us eat an entire turkey—so there is little pressure for us to celebrate. I never learned the fine art of stuffing a turkey and I can live with that. We do Thanksgiving our way.

Last Friday, the weather was gorgeous and I went hunting for “Thanksgiving mood” snapshots. It was harder than it seemed because Halloween already took over the city—there are more giant pumpkins around than signs of celebration of the harvest and other blessings of the past year. Eventually, I went straight to the source—the Experimental Farm where, indeed, fields were being harvested, and the supermarket that featured various Thanksgiving dinner ingredients—turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, sweet corn, various kinds of squashes and pumpkin pie. Phew. Saved.

Meanwhile, the long walk with my camera allowed me to think about what I was thankful for.

When I look at the big picture, I’m thankful for life in general. Life is surprising, the ups and downs are never boring and I love going through various experiences, good and meh, as long as I can feel something—excitement, love, anger, passion, enthusiasm, contentment, restlessness or joy. We are complex beings, completely illogical at times but deeply fascinating. I’m glad to be one of those.

I’m grateful for the fact that my destiny is not written for me. I’m drafting it and I love it, even when the odd typo creeps in.

I’m grateful for Feng and Mark. I wouldn’t trade them for anything in the world. They are unique and amazing.

I’m grateful for my family. I had an awesome childhood and I think my parents did a great job.

I’m grateful for my friends, who are kind and inspiring.

I’m grateful for you who take the time to read the words I type.

Thank you all. I’ll be back to my cynical self right after the holiday.

Harvest time at the Experimental Farm
Harvest time at the Experimental Farm
Harvest time at the Experimental Farm
Harvest time at the Experimental Farm
Harvest time at the Experimental Farm
Harvest time at the Experimental Farm
Gorgeous "Indian Summer" weather before Thanksgiving
Gorgeous “Indian Summer” weather before Thanksgiving
Seasonal butternut squashes at the supermarket
Seasonal butternut squashes at the supermarket
Seasonal spaghetti squashes at the supermarket
Seasonal spaghetti squashes at the supermarket
Seasonal squashes at the supermarket
Seasonal squashes at the supermarket
Seasonal squashes at the supermarket
Seasonal squashes at the supermarket
Seasonal squashes at the supermarket
Seasonal squashes at the supermarket
Fresh cranberries at the supermarket
Fresh cranberries at the supermarket
Turkey stuffing easy-prep boxes at the supermarket
Turkey stuffing easy-prep boxes at the supermarket
Meat thermometer at the supermarket
Meat thermometer at the supermarket
A few turkey left, two days before Thanksgiving
A few turkey left, two days before Thanksgiving
Stuffing and side prep boxes at the supermarket
Stuffing and side prep boxes at the supermarket
Pumpkin sauce cans at the supermarket
Pumpkin sauce cans at the supermarket
Apple pie filling cans at the supermarket
Apple pie filling cans at the supermarket
Baking essentials at the supermarket
Baking essentials at the supermarket
... and if you don't feel like cooking, catering is available downtown Ottawa!
… and if you don’t feel like cooking, catering is available downtown Ottawa!
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Zhu

French woman in English Canada.

Exploring the world with my camera since 1999, translating sentences for a living, writing stories that may or may not get attention.

Firm believer that nobody is normal... and it’s better this way.

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