Best (and Most Expensive) Pecan Pie Ever

One of the hardest things about Thanksgiving while being overseas is trying to celebrate it. Traditionally, in America that is, Thanksgiving isn’t Thanksgiving without the huge feast: turkey, sweet potatoes, cranberries, pumpkin (and perhaps pecan) pie, stuffing, etc. Well, when trying to have Thanksgiving overseas, it becomes apparent how American this celebration is. Almost all of the above mentioned items can be difficult, if not impossible, to obtain overseas.

This year, finding a whole turkey was impossible, as the government here isn’t selling them in hopes of avoiding the bird flu. We didn’t have sweet potatoes with the marshmallows on top (which was fine by me, but missed by Julie) or cranberries, either. The stuffing came from the States, as did the pumpkin pie filling. But, it was the pecan pie that I will remember from this Thanksgiving. Why? Because we actually had it. The day before Thanksgiving, I explained to my language teacher all about Thanksgiving, including the foods of Thanksgiving. I tried to explain all of the foods—including pecan pie. My teacher had never even heard of a pecan nut—she simply didn’t know what it was.
But, Brent (my boss) loves pecan pie. He really, really wanted to have it. But, his searches throughout Moscow had been fruitless. So, we gave up on our hopes of having it for Thanksgiving. But, on Thanksgiving morning, Brent and his wife Jennie were shopping at an international food store, when he stumbled upon some pecans. He was so excited, that he bought a couple of 100 g packets. It was only when he got home and did the math that he realized how expensive they were. I mean, he knew that they were expensive, but he didn’t realize that they were $27 a pound! But, Julie and Jennie were able to make the pie (Jennie, bless her heart, had been saving their Karo syrup—another impossible item here—just in case she might find pecans), and last Friday, I savored every bite of the most expensive, but best, pecan pie I’ve ever had!