Thanksgiving Hilarity

So you haven't really lived until you experience a Thanksgiving outreach in Italy. This year Amanda and I went to Salerno to help them with their student outreach. The Wednesday before Turkey day Mario and I spent the day making 14 pumpkin and pecan pies. Ricky made all the crusts from scratch. During the baking times, we passed the time by seeing what would explode the best off a 4th floor balcony. Tina, Amanda and I made the team dinner that night as well. Grilled cheese with cheddar straight from America accompanied by some warm tomatoe soup.

Turkey day arrived and I woke to the sound of green bean casseroles and sweeet potatoe pie being made. Yum! 5 of us us girls set off for the butchers to pick up the turkeys, of which they ordered 3. Our mouths dropped as the first bird or small dinosaur is hauled out. Yes, a whopping 17 kilos or 37lbs if you will. We're scared at this point! Birds 2 and 3 arrive and though slightly smaller weigh in at 32-33lbs. each. The butcher, with a straight face, asks " so who's going to carry these?". To which we replied us of course and then he broke out in laughter. We called in the guys for reinforcement. The question also was asked so who's cooking these and where. To which again we replied us and at home....laughter continues. We hike uphill for 5 mins with these birds until we meet 2 of the guys. Mario, Rick and I carried the birds about 10-15 mins uphill through Salerno drawing many stares. Once we arrived, we surveyed the insanity. Local pizzeria friends agreed to cook one of the turkeys in their big oven while we would cook one at home and the third we would have to carry about 30-40 mins. across town to our friends hotel. The cleaning, de-feathering, and seasoning began. DUring this time Tina, Katherine and I went on a potatoe peeling spree. I think we went through 5 bags. This provided hours of entertainment and laughter for us all.

Turkey 1 Nina- Katherine and I locate a pan and drop this big bird wrapped in foil on it. We're praying it fits in the guys oven. Well.... we try to shove it in and the sides of the oven that hold the racks start to fall off. Panic erupts as the bird begins to fall. The the bird drops. Ah!!! Plan B- yell for Mario and he takes out the side racks with a screwdriver then we find something to raise the bird up just off the oven coils. After about 10 mins and several attempts, the bird is in. I think it was touching every side and the top of the oven.

Turkey 2 Santa Maria- Piece of cake. Amanda and Mario put all 37lbs. of it in a bag then drop it in a rolling suitcase and head across town to the restaurant. Yes, turkey in a suitcase, we're very creative.

Turkey 3 Pinta-my favorite. Katherine and I threw the bird in a giant black garbage bag then layed it in the guys laundry basket. It looks like a corpse at this point. We started out for a good 15 min. slow walk down to the bus stop. The laundry basket hurt so bad that we each had to wear one winter glove. We looked like completed weirdos. We arrived just in time to catch the bus. We each grabbed a handle and load the bird onto the bus. At this point, we are drawing some serious stares. Finally, we arrived to the port where we needed to change buses but sadly our new bus was packed full, no room for 2 girls and a raw bird. There was some discussion then a crazy rash decision to just walk down the ocean boardwalk to the hotel carrying this bird. It was a serious 20 min walk and we had to keep switching sides because of the basket cutting the circulation to our hands off. Yes, we see it, the hotel. Our friend's dad meets us outside and he is very happy to help. He calls his wife, who is not quite all there, and she refuses at first but dad insists. She accompanies us into the kitchen where she takes one look at the bird and says it's too big and gives it a big slap. She then points wildly and says "but I can give you the microwave". Katherine and I exchange looks of sheer laughter inside and are you freakin kidding me, a microwave! We kindly refuse, as the bird is 4 times the size of the microwave and who cooks a turkey in a microwave?? She keeps saying their oven is only for delicate things like croissants not turkeys and continues to slap the bird. A distress call was made back to the guys apartment. We didn't know where to cook the bird and we refused to carry it another 40 mins back across town. After much awkwardness, we left with the bird and stood on the curb by the main street wonderinng what to do. All of a sudden, I look at Katherine and say TAXI. hahaha. sheer laughter at this point erupts. We make the needed calls and get a taxi. While we're waiting we decided to talk about what we were thankful for in hopes that it would cover over our frustrations. In conclusion, we load the turkey in the taxi, never telling the driver just what's in the basket. We arrive at home and within an hour our restaurant friends tell us to bring it over. They ended up cooking one in the normal oven then they put this one in the wood burning pizza oven.

All ended well. We came out with 105l bs. of yummy turkey and 80 students attended the outreach adn were able to hear about God's free invitation to salvation through Jesus Christ and having a personal relationship with God. It was a success!