A Very Hyggeligt Thanksgiving

My host family and I have been planning the Thanksgiving celebration since September, when my host parents invited two other families to join us for a traditional American holiday.  I spent the last week tracking down sweet potatoes and fresh cranberries (for which I paid 50 kroner – about $9!), and my host dad ordered an 18 pound turkey from a butcher in Copenhagen.

Because of work and school, we decided to celebrate on Friday instead of Thursday.  I began preparing the food on Thursday afternoon.  Though I have been a kitchen assistant for the last few Thanksgiving meals, I have never before been head chef.  I was thrilled to have the opportunity to share the American holiday with my host family and friends, but I was nervous about how the meal would turn out.  On Thursday I made the cranberry sauce (which, to my great surprise, set perfectly) the sweet potato pie, and two apple pies.  Crisco shortening is not available in Danish supermarkets, so I had to use Palmin, a German ingredient made of coconut fat, instead.  So far, everything was coming along nicely.

Then, in preparation for Friday morning, I decided to inspect the turkey.  I searched the skin for feathers and found none.  Then I unhooked the legs from their binding so that I could see inside the bird’s cavity.  I was hoping to find a bag of giblets, which I would need to make the broth for the stuffing, but there was no bag to be found.  Instead there was only a little lima bean.  That’s strange, I thought.  Then it hit me.  OH NO!  I took a closer look and realized that, in addition to the kidney, the heart, lungs, and liver were still inside the bird.  With no other option, I got a plastic bag, took a deep breath, stuck my arm into the bird’s cavity, and ripped out its organs.  It was the most disgusting thing that I’ve ever done in my entire life.

I woke up on Friday morning to a beautiful winter wonderland.  In the morning I made the stuffing, cleaned and stuffed the turkey, and put the bird in the oven.  In the afternoon I picked up my friend, Ashley, at the train station and gave her a brief tour of Køge on our way back to the house.  We had some time to relax before we had to return to work in the kitchen.  At 5pm, two hours before I’d anticipated, the turkey thermometer beeped.  I tried sticking the thermometer in different locations on the bird, but the turkey was definitely ready.  One frantic phone call to Mom and Dad later, I took the turkey out of the oven to cool, planning to reheat it before dinner.

At 7pm the guests started to arrive, and dinner began just before 8pm.  Once the food had been served I made a toast, briefly explaining the history of Thanksgiving and why it is still an important holiday today.  I said that, like every year before, I am thankful for my family, but that this year I am fortunate to include four new people in my family: my host parents and host sisters.  After the toast we spent hours and hours enjoying food and conversation.  (The turkey, by the way, was excellent!)  Ashley and I were the only Americans among 12 Danes, but it was an exciting opportunity to teach my host family and our guests about American tradition.  Though I’ll admit that I was feeling very homesick on Thanksgiving, I had such a wonderful time celebrating a very hyggeligt Thanksgiving here in Denmark.

Hygge is a fundamental Danish social value, and it is my favorite aspect of Danish culture.  Translated to English, hygge means ‘coziness’, but in reality it is more complex than that.  Like a Buddhist hoping to achieve Enlightenment, Danes strive for hygge in social interactions and daily life.  This coziness is open to personal interpretation and can be achieved either alone or in a group.  For me, it is hyggeligt to snuggle up with a great book by the fireplace or to have an intimate dinner party with close friends.  In an effort to facilitate hygge, Danish dinner parties nearly always include fancy place settings and candles, yet the interactions and conversations remain informal.  Not unlike the concept of feng shui, Danes even design their homes in a way that promotes hygge.  Candles are everywhere, and family rooms are cozy.  Hearing about hygge is one thing, but living in Denmark and experiencing hygge with Danes is quite another.  When described, hygge sounds very much like coziness.  However, coziness is not substantial enough a word to fully encompass all that is hygge.  When you are relaxing and feeling completely content, either alone or with loved ones, and a blissful warmth comes over you… that is hygge.

 P.S. It continued to snow through Saturday morning and we now have 45 centimeters (about 1 ½ feet) of snow!  My host family and I went to see the new Harry Potter movie at the movie theater in Køge last night, and my host sisters initiated a snow ball fight during the walk home.