Thanksgiving in Chicago
With two papers due after Thanksgiving break and the quarter ending one week later, I decided to stay in Chicago to take care of business.
I initially thought of taking Thanksgiving as my day off from schoolwork and just lazily enjoy the solitude (Maggie's in Fresno) but Chicago had other plans in mind.
First, the University promoted an event called Thanksgiving at UChicago, where you get paired up with a professor or faculty member for dinner. So I thought, why not? Could be fun! Then, I found out Chicago has its own Thanksgiving Day parade. And finally, when I was matched with a professor for dinner, I offered to make a pie to bring.
So, yesterday I took the bus downtown to see the parade on State St. It was much less crowded than the Disney one, at least the street I went down to catch it, but it took me a little longer to weasel my way up to the front. It was scheduled from 8-11 which seemed a little long and I wanted to get some work done on my paper, so I got there a little after 9. I figured I would walk to the Christkindle Market (I'll explain later) a little before 11 while State St. and the crowds cleared out (my route home on the bus goes through State St.). After watching some really great marching bands, recycled floats (some slightly altered, some left the same) from the Disney parade, fencers, miniature ponies, tap dancers, etc. I decided my feet were too cold, I was tired of people sticking their phones in front of my face taking pictures of every single float (tell me what the hell you are going to do with pictures of every float, they weren't all that impressive) and I wanted to head home. I just had to do a little extra walking to get to a different stop.
Once home I started to make mock mincemeat pie and the crust from scratch. Because I had to buy a bottle of rum and brandy and only needed two tablespoons of each, I made myself a nice warm hot toddy (tea, honey, lemon, rum) and listened to Christmas music as I baked. With the pie in the oven, I got ready to go.
The professor, Tom, and his wife, Molly, only lived a half mile away so I walked over with my piping hot pie on my arms. The university put two students with each professor so my counterpart was a master's student in the social sciences department, studying economics, named Jingying. She was already there, helping with the cooking, as was a 5th year physics PhD student, Aaron. Shortly after I arrived, another physics PhD showed up, Anshuman, shortly followed by his uncle, a brain surgeon, who was visiting his daughter Nayah, Anshuman's cousin, who goes to the Institute of Art here in Chicago. The two PhDs are students of Tom's.
We chatted in the living room as dinner was being finished up. They were interested in what I was doing for my thesis since I was a humanist in a room full of scientists. Then we moved to the dinner table where we had turkey and all the traditional fixings so our international guests could get the real experience. After dinner we moved back into the living room to talk some more. The conversations were very interesting. But after so much food and sherry, and wine, and cognac, it was bed time. Jingying and I shared a Lyft home (that the university paid for, woot! woot!).
Though I missed you all, I must say that, for being so far from home and being alone (seriously, everyone I know here went out of town), I had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
I initially thought of taking Thanksgiving as my day off from schoolwork and just lazily enjoy the solitude (Maggie's in Fresno) but Chicago had other plans in mind.
First, the University promoted an event called Thanksgiving at UChicago, where you get paired up with a professor or faculty member for dinner. So I thought, why not? Could be fun! Then, I found out Chicago has its own Thanksgiving Day parade. And finally, when I was matched with a professor for dinner, I offered to make a pie to bring.
So, yesterday I took the bus downtown to see the parade on State St. It was much less crowded than the Disney one, at least the street I went down to catch it, but it took me a little longer to weasel my way up to the front. It was scheduled from 8-11 which seemed a little long and I wanted to get some work done on my paper, so I got there a little after 9. I figured I would walk to the Christkindle Market (I'll explain later) a little before 11 while State St. and the crowds cleared out (my route home on the bus goes through State St.). After watching some really great marching bands, recycled floats (some slightly altered, some left the same) from the Disney parade, fencers, miniature ponies, tap dancers, etc. I decided my feet were too cold, I was tired of people sticking their phones in front of my face taking pictures of every single float (tell me what the hell you are going to do with pictures of every float, they weren't all that impressive) and I wanted to head home. I just had to do a little extra walking to get to a different stop.
Once home I started to make mock mincemeat pie and the crust from scratch. Because I had to buy a bottle of rum and brandy and only needed two tablespoons of each, I made myself a nice warm hot toddy (tea, honey, lemon, rum) and listened to Christmas music as I baked. With the pie in the oven, I got ready to go.
The professor, Tom, and his wife, Molly, only lived a half mile away so I walked over with my piping hot pie on my arms. The university put two students with each professor so my counterpart was a master's student in the social sciences department, studying economics, named Jingying. She was already there, helping with the cooking, as was a 5th year physics PhD student, Aaron. Shortly after I arrived, another physics PhD showed up, Anshuman, shortly followed by his uncle, a brain surgeon, who was visiting his daughter Nayah, Anshuman's cousin, who goes to the Institute of Art here in Chicago. The two PhDs are students of Tom's.
We chatted in the living room as dinner was being finished up. They were interested in what I was doing for my thesis since I was a humanist in a room full of scientists. Then we moved to the dinner table where we had turkey and all the traditional fixings so our international guests could get the real experience. After dinner we moved back into the living room to talk some more. The conversations were very interesting. But after so much food and sherry, and wine, and cognac, it was bed time. Jingying and I shared a Lyft home (that the university paid for, woot! woot!).
Though I missed you all, I must say that, for being so far from home and being alone (seriously, everyone I know here went out of town), I had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Hi Chelsey,
ReplyDeleteI got your message, I'm glad you had a nice Thanksgiving. The pie you made looks great! Sheriane made pies too (pumpkin & chocolate pecan). Looked at the Christmas tree and decorations you posted too. Looks so pretty, I love the blue lights. Can't wait to see you at Christmas!
Love you