GregoryBowers.com

I recall that about 9 years ago, when I was a strapping, lonely young Yank living in Australia, a well-meaning Aussie house-mum invited us over for “something you boys must’ve been missing!”

She gave us a nice traditional british tea (translation: meat, roasted potatoes, gravy) and then announced that she was about to bring out the surprise. She said she’d heard that pumpkin pie was a tradition with “your yank thanksgiving day” and she’d tried her hand at it. Keep in mind that this was before anyone and everyone could (or even thought to) look things up on the web before doing. Also keep in mind that I left out a very important piece of a traditional british (or at least aussie-brit) tea: roasted pumpkin.

She proudly walked out with a warm, greyish pie, placed it on the table and said “have at ‘er! She’s a pumpkin pie!”

Long story short, she was blissfully unaware that the major part of pumpkin pie is the spices (ginger, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, etc), and sugar. She’d whipped up some roasted pumpkins (the grey japanese kind used in aussie kitchens), added some (but not quite enough) thickening agent, and dumped it in a pie crust.

I’ve never faked enjoying something to quite that level. And I was a picky child, so that’s saying something.

I’m glad I don’t have to fake it when being stuffed full of delicious food by my (almost) wife on Gluttony Turkey Day.