SOOOOOOOOEY!!

Lechon
Originally uploaded by MetroManilan.

i was going to post some cute pic of an innocent baby pig sleeping on a bed of clean sunlit hay but the reality is there's filipinos out there getting ready to pig out on some pig... 'cause well, we don't do turkey. so, look out, porky, wilbur, babe... your days are numbered. oink, oinky, oink-y, oink, oink!

anyhoo... one of the things i enjoy about blogging is that i can look back at what i was pondering in 2004 (halloween decor, knitting, the beastie boys, toys for adults but not "adult toys", blog explosion, nigella lawson,the lamb purse, women bloggers cycles, gay men and boston market) and 2005 (howard stern, toilets, child free zones, popzillas b'day, snow, harry potter, contractions).

i can't believe this time, last year, i was already dilated and eagerly awaiting the birth of the porkchop. (and yes. i promise. i will not eat him.)

i realize now that this time of year i'll probably always be doing about the same thing(s)... fantasizing about eating lots of food, thinking about what i did the year before, planning/signing/mailing christmas cards, frantically buying/making christmas presents, stressing out, contemplating therapy and the pros and cons of a lifetime on meds, etc, etc...

this year, we'll also be back at my aunts house, where the usual filipino feast (lechon, rice, pansit, lumpia, chicken adobo, empanadas, dinugguan, leche flan, etc...) will be laid out. MASARAP!!

as usual, i feel guilty that the thin man will have to go without the traditional american thanksgiving meal he's so familiar with and that he usually shares with his mother's side of the family. i have been lucky enough to share in the big thanksgiving lunch... snack... dinner... late night snack... next day turkey shake...

i hope that the paloma and the porkchop enjoy our thanksgivings with our extended family. i wasn't always so fond of them. as a child, i often wished i could have a thanksgiving like all the "other kids" (the ones outside of logan square) with turkey and stuffing and mashed potatoes...

which got me thinking... does the filipino feast have more in common with how puerto rican americans celebrate thanksgiving? i've heard filipinos called "the puerto ricans of the orient". so, i did a very itty bitty limited amount of googling and found that boricuas also have lechons as the main "foodporn" of celebratory meals, but i guess they do turkey "con sabor" for thanksgiving.... i also found this great puerto rican thanksgiving menu. i can hear the kids rousing from their naps so i don't have time to google re: how polish americans and mexican americans celebrate thanksgiving.

so, dearest thin man, tomorrow, let's just pretend you're kicking it in san juan with your dad and your primos (we'll pretend "the crazy lady" is in costa rica...) dude, you have to get in touch with the puerto rican in you 'cause i need in on that coquito action...

the paloma was telling me that she is thankful for trees - "because trees let birds make nestses in them and squirrels live in them and they scrub the air and they don't fall down if i don't use too much toilet paper."

i'm thankful for so many things, my family, my friends, my (deteriorating) health, my home, the blessings and daily miracles that i always neglect to acknowledge, the trees...

so, happy thanksgiving everyone! now, GO GET THAT PIG! :)