A Holiday Recipe for Making Memories

Lien Do shows the practical way to eat a pumpkin pie baked by her husband, John Carey, after his culinary efforts last Thanksgiving. (By Lemy Wood)

Life is composed of accidental moments. They are glimpses of who we are and where we live.

I guess this story has to start with the fact that I am married into a very beautiful and loving Vietnamese family. Most of our lives are blissfully happy, but the cultural differences between us do sometimes make for awkward moments and strange situations.

Thanksgiving is a very special American holiday, but you have to remember that it is a distinctly American holiday. It is practically a holiday without reason to others. Jesus Christ (can we still mention Him in the newspaper?) didn't cause this holiday. In fact, if I remember correctly, Abraham Lincoln caused Thanksgiving. So just explaining Thanksgiving to my Vietnamese family takes a long time and too many words.

My sister-in-law once said: "And you eat a bird on this holiday? A big bird nobody wants? Why?"

Don't even try to explain cranberry sauce. "If it is so good, where is it the other 364 days?" I have no clue.

And also from my in-laws last year: "What the heck are yams, and what do you do with them?"

I, of course, knew the answer: "They grow underground, and you can make pie from them!"

The response: "Not in this house."

American culture makes sense to us, but to others it is sometimes mysterious.

So, last year, I volunteered to prepare the entire Thanksgiving dinner. I had my bird, my stuffing and all the trimmings. And I attempted pumpkin pie.

There is no way I am about to make a pumpkin pie from scratch. So I recalled how my mom did it when she was running out of time. Canned pumpkin, pre-made crust and, voilà! Pie! Hot from the oven.

Except that there are two types of canned pumpkin: concentrate (which needs to be thinned with milk) and "ready to go" (which is, as it says, ready to go.)