Thanksgiving is almost upon us. How do I know this? It’s dark at 5.30 pm (or 17.30, as we call it here) and everyone’s talking about their plans for Christmas (here in the land of the Vatican, it is Christmas, none of that pc “holiday” business). But for me, turkey day is just around the corner because the monthly business networking lunch that I organize – American Business Group Milan – has Thanksgiving as its theme each November. Which means that I and my American partners have once again been explaining the recipes for traditional dishes to the Italian chef of the restaurant where it will be held. Turkey, of course, plus stuffing, orange sweet potatoes (the white ones are easy to find – the orange “American” ones take a bit more dedication to locate) and some sort of green vegetable (Brussel sprouts is our pick this year). In years past, we’ve tried to explain how to make pumpkin pie, but it always came out so far from the ideal that we’ve learned to just request apple pie and make all of our lives easier. We don’t want any shockers when the kitchen doors open – the interpretations are always a bit different from what we thought we’d communicated.

This is our most popular lunch of the year – it seems everyone, Italians, Brits, Norwegians, – you name them – all want to witness how we Americans celebrate our famous eating fest. Although it’s never quite what we’re used to at home, we pretend it’s identical to our grandmothers’ cooking so that they feel they’ve had the authentic experience. And we’re far from the only ones. Various restaurants and associations are hawking their Thanksgiving dinners to expat Americans and everyone else so much that it’s possible to eat the same dishes most of the week, should you so choose.

For me, the food is less interesting than the community. The mood of this lunch is more festive than our usual affairs. We’re still looking to meet new people or reconnect with those we’ve met before, but it feels more informal.