A Thanksgiving meal in Rome

Despite the celebration of Thanksgiving Day being something the Italians do not quite understand (which is rather curious considering their love of family and of food), the staff of the Casa Santa Maria do an excellent job at preparing a traditional meal for us here.

As we entered the refectory this afternoon after our celebration of the Holy Mass, we were met with an impressive display, including this turkey:

One meal began with an antipasto platter of a few kinds of Italian cured hams and small balls of mozzarella.

The first course consisted of a penne shaped pasta cooked with pumpkin, cinnamon, and ricotta cheese. I was skeptical about this combination but it was rather tasty:

Blogger's acting funny again with my pictures

The meal continued with a second course of roasted turkey and gravy, stuffing (of which I've never really been a fan), and cranberry sauce:

Next came platters of mashed potatoes and green beans with almonds (my table forget to wait for these):

Everything was very tasty and, while I missed Hawaiian sweet rolls and cornbread casserole, was very satisfying.

Our meal concluded with a pumpkin pie. I've also never been much of a fan of pumpkin pie, but this one was covered with cinnamon so the pumpkin flavor was muted:

A traditional style meal helps ease some of the longings for home this day, but I still miss my family and friends back home more so today than I normally be.

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all!