T-day in México

I've invited my whole English department for a little cultural event at my house this Thursday.  They are coming after work; I am taking the day to cook.  Can't any American cook a turkey?  I hope so! Here's a running diary of the experience:

Oct 30- See ad on Cuernavaca expat listserv for organic turkeys. 

Nov. 8 - Decide to buy organic turkey.  Email contact, who asks me to pay for half upfront and the rest when we get the turkeys.  Is this something I would do in the States? I decide to go for it.

Nov. 9- Regina and I are truly not sure what day T-day is.  This goes on for some time, until a few days later we look at our American calendar.  Oh.  

Nov. 11- Meet turkey contact, who turns out to be a dynamic mom of 3 bilingual kids.  She is married to a doctor who is currently in Geneva.  I think this will turn out ok.  I hand over

 my 200 pesos. 

Nov. 14 - Plan menu, revise yams for a salad, since I can't find raw yams anywhere (I've looked in 2 towns).  Remind myself I will need to go to at least 4 stores to find everything.  

Nov. 22 - Guest list is up to 7.

Nov. 23 - Tianguis (store #1): buy veggies. Discard salad idea. No sage to be found.  Store #2: Look for turkey and pie pans and sage.  No luck.  Store #3: Find flimsy turkey pan.  Buy potato chips and beer - I'm going to need them this week. Start to worry about stuffing. 

Nov. 24 - Coffee/kitchen supply store (store #4) sells me a meat thermometer.  Espresso, frying pans, and meat thermometers- my kind of store! 

Costco (store #5) run for wine, butter (scratch that - all they have is unsalted), and of all things pumpkin pie!  I feel mildly pathetic for buying a Costco card, but the idea of being able to take pumpkin pie to my kiddos  makes me feel less pathetic.  

Turkey connection emails; the bird lands tomorrow, NOT Wednesday as originally scheduled. The pies suddenly look like a problem.  

Nov. 25 -  Eat potato chips and drink beer while waiting to pick up turkey.  

Regina goes to store #6 for butter and yams. 

Nov. 26 - T-minus 1.   Pies go to school and the Pilgrims are defrocked as robbing, land-loving interlopers (well, in my classes at least).  

    I bake the apple pie, improvising with a wine bottle to roll our my crust, (the hardest part was emptying the wine bottle, but we managed).  Discover oven appears to have a slight tilt forward.

Nov. 27 -  Turkey turned out beautifully, our Southern friend saved the gravy, none of the guests thought any of the food was disgusting, and we have left-overs (yeah!) :)