Thanksgiving Turkey and Glib Bits in Reno

I think I'm becoming Amercanized!  How can I tell?  Well, this is a conversation I regularly have with unsuspecting shop assistants.  Me:  "Excuse me, is there anywhere around here I can get a good coffee?" Unsuspecting shop assistant: "Yes, there's Starbucks".  Me:  "No, I mean a 'good' coffee".  Unsuspecting and now realising she's also unlucky shop assistant: "No, sorry, there really isn't."  This was the exact conversation that took place today while I was at a shopping mall in Reno where I am visiting my father-in-law with my husband for Thanksgiving weekend.

Shopping malls in America are just that - shopping malls which consist of great designer shops but lack food halls, restaurants, coffee shops, entertainment, newsagencies or chemists.  And shopping in a rainy zero degrees in an uncovered mall that is spread out over 2 kilometres makes it difficult to do much shopping unless you want to freeze to death, and all this for one Starbucks!  In fact, there's a great outlet mall in Park City, Utah, but they have ONE place that sells food in the whole centre - that being, Mrs Field's Cookies.  I know!!!  Now, I'm figuring if they were really smart, they'd have a great pub or coffee shop where women could leave their husbands while they shop. You know like "park your car there and your husband here".  But with no food outlets, one can only shop there for a maximum of 2-3 hours, and then even the most hardened shopper (yes, even you Lizzie), would need some sustenance.  I'm at a loss as to why Americans, who are excellent marketers, cannot see the benefit of building a shopping mall where you can spend all day - with your family. I think it should be mandatory for every shopping centre developer in the US to visit a  Westfields.

Anyway, I digress.  Back to my acclimatisation.  Out of sheer desperation, I went to Starbucks and ordered my coffee and as I sat there drinking my single shot soy latte with no foam made with the horrible vanilla soy that Starbucks insist on using throughout the country, I thought "gosh, this coffee tastes quite good!" And that's when I realised:  "I'm becoming Americanized"!

View of the Lake

Which brings me to Thanksgiving, a lovely American tradition where family and friends get together to give thanks for all the blessings in their lives.  Because we were in Reno, which is in the gambling State of Nevada, my father-in-law who is recovering from a hip operation had booked our Thanksgiving dinner at a favourite restaurant of his which is a bit like the Australian version of a RSL club.  I know what you're thinking, and you're right.  The dinner consisted of yam soup, followed by a huge plate of very tough turkey smothered in a very thick gravy, lumpy mashed potatoes and peas and carrots and further followed by the strange phenomenon, pumpkin pie.  But again, I actually enjoyed it - all part of my conversion process.  I just hope that we didn't contract the swine flu from the poor waitress who couldn't stop hacking away as she was serving us.  

View up at Lake Tahoe

But Reno is a lovely city and my husband and I spent the day following Thanksgiving at Lake Tahoe which was truly spectacular and which reminded me of Europe. 

It's been a lovely weekend, and I, like most Americans at this time of the year, feel very grateful for all the blessings in my life, but most particularly for my husband and his family who I am getting to know and love, and for my wonderful family and friends back in Australia who keep in constant contact with me.

But I think next Thanksgiving, I'll be cooking the turkey!