November 05, 2018 4 min read
For some local advice, we invited Lindrė to join us – she was born and raised in Texas, Austin, in a second-generation immigrant family with strong Lithuanian traditions. Her grandparents ran away to the US because of the war and, even though they never returned to Lithuania, they have always cherished the traditions of their homeland.
Lindrė herself has first came to Lithuania for an exchange semester, and instantly felt like she belonged here, even though, as she jokes, it was shocking to see ketchup being put on every meal. Jokes aside, though, Lindrė loved the realness and honesty of Lithuanian people, so she decided to invite her friends for a Thanksgiving dinner the first year she arrived. By now, it has evolved into an annual tradition of eleven years and counting, a loving husband, and a successful Mexican restaurant in Vilnius.
In photo: Natural Luxury Apronand Thin Black Stripes Kitchen Towel
– I instantly felt that I was in the right place, like I belonged here. I loved Lithuanian traditions and people, yet not everything has been easy. Lithuanians are very open and say everything that’s on their mind, which I appreciate a lot, but it took me some time to get used to. I remember receiving a negative comment from a stranger grandma on the street and felt like crying afterwards – she didn’t know me, so I couldn’t understand why did she feel entitled to criticize me? I’ve got accustomed to this now and it doesn’t bother me any more.
– Yes, we used to. My favorite task was tearing the bread for the stuffing. One year, my grandma figured she would help me and cut the bread into pieces the night before. So, I woke up the next morning, only to find out the bread has been cut, instead of torn, and my favorite task has been taken away from me. I got so upset and angry! (laugs) It’s worth mentioning that stuffing is not exactly being stuffed any more. It used to go inside the turkey, but in that case it takes hours for everything to cook through, the meat on the outside ends up dry, and all the nutrients disappear. So, now we cook the turkey and the stuffing separately. In addition, we always have cranberry sauce and gravy to go with the meat, as well as potatoes and a couple of pies – all together the dish count can go up as high as 12! That’s why I don’t like to use too many seasonings in them – when there’s so much of everything, I believe it’s best to keep other flavors pure and wholesome to avoid too many overwhelming tastes.
– Oh yes I do! My husband and I invite our friends over for Thanksgiving dinner, which I make the way I learnt during my childhood. Most of the friends have been a part of this tradition since my first year in Lithuania, by now they have learnt most of the recipes, so usually everyone picks a dish they’re making and we bring it all together on Thanksgiving, making it much easier to host.
What we’ll need:
Let’s get going:
What we’ll need:
Let’s get going:
What we’ll need:
Let’s get going:
Photos by Lina Juškė
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