November 21, 2012 As part of “Thanksgiving Abroad,” Bon Appétit’s series of tales from writers who have celebrated Thanksgiving in other lands, Rosecrans Baldwin reflects on his family’s attempt to enjoy a traditional turkey dinner in Venice. Baldwin, a former Nashville resident and the author of the memoir Paris, I Love You But You’re Bringing Me Down and the novel You Lost Me There, recalls the teasing and words of warning from his skeptical French colleagues when he announced that his family was gathering in Venice for their American holiday. After Baldwin’s family assembles in this unfamiliar setting, they navigate through Venice’s flooded streets, trying to locate the restaurant that had promised them a feast. When they finally sit down to their sumptuous dinner, they find that the joys and traditions they share as a family, which are what made them love Thanksgiving in the first place, are there to greet them. According to Baldwin, “Thanksgiving, it turns out, is portable.”
To read the article at Bon Appétit, click here. To read Chapter 16’s Q&A with Baldwin, click here.
For more updates on Tennessee authors, please visit Chapter 16’s News & Notes page, here.
