Cranberries and confusion...

In a slightly belated gesture I would like to offer up these cranberries along with a wish for a very happy Thanksgiving for my American readers...

I've never known if it's a faux pas to wish somebody a Happy Whatever when the Whatever is something that you and/or your culture doesn't celebrate. Like when somebody Jewish tells you they're celebrating Rosh Hashanah or your Muslim friend mentions that their family are coming to town for Eid, do they think you're completely nuts if you wish them a happy day when you have no idea what that day actually entails or symbolises? Or is it just good manners?

Personally not to wish them a Happy Whatever would feel like not wishing someone a happy birthday (and if that birthday greeting happens to come a day late, well that's absolutely no indication of a lack of sincerity and more a sign that the well wisher might be suffering a loss of their short term memory which may or may not be an irreversible side effect of some obnoxious medication they're on, in which case you shouldn't be pissed off that your dear friend forgot Thanksgiving/your birthday but pat them on the head and tell them no one needs their short term memory anyway. Either way, they really do mean it when they say have a happy day, even if the day in question was yesterday.)

But maybe I'm wrong? Maybe you should just smile and say 'well enjoy your day' (which seems a little frosty to me.) What do you think? Are there official guidelines on this matter?

I bought my first fresh cranberries this week and I baked these scones with them. They were delicious and before I'd had a chance to photograph the end result, we'd eaten them all. I changed the recipe slightly. I used normal lemons (I've no idea what meyer lemons are. Any info people?) and used half a cup of milk and half a cup of natural yoghurt instead of the cup of double cream which not only seemed ridiculously decadent but was absent from our fridge where there just happened to be an excess of out of date milk and yoghurt (don't look so disgusted, they were cooked at 270 (400 for the Americans) degrees I'll have you know - nothing that's likely to kill you can survive being cooked at 270 degrees *coughalmostcertainlycough*).

I had no idea that this was what the inside of a cranberry looked like. I thought that they would be red and juicy all the way though, like blackcurrants. Apparently they don't taste good raw, I wouldn't know, I make The Boy taste things I'm unsure about first. I try to mask it as generosity - 'no dear, you have the first bite' but I think he knows I'm just using him.

I had my first Thanksgiving dinner a few weeks ago. Hosted by one Canadian and one American, it was an Americadian Thanksgiving, held exactly half way between the two festivals. I discovered two things; I swoon in the presence of an American accent (so exotic! Just like a film star!) And pumpkin pie is horrible. I do however like cornbread stuffing and I've been fantasising about it ever since.

Photos by me.