The American holiday which gives us an idea of the power of U.S. cable television and cultural influence in Belize is Thanksgiving, a uniquely American holiday which has absolutely nothing to do with Belize per se. But, there will be turkey dinners on sale all over Belize City, and the overall mood on Thursday here will be influenced by the massive holiday, cum NFL games, in the United States.

Thanksgiving is also a huge business event in America, apart from the day itself, because the day immediately following Thursday, so-called “Black Friday,” is a shoppers’ spree in the U.S. featuring large reductions in commodity prices. What Thanksgiving does in the U.S., is provide the first spark for the Christmas splurging attitude amongst shoppers, and there are many business people in Belize who are anxiously awaiting that said splurging attitude amongst Belizeans.

One local media voice, conscious of Thanksgiving’s major influence in Belize, has suggested that Belize “piggyback” on Thanksgiving by celebrating on that same day something like the end of the hurricane season. A desperate thought, perhaps, but it is evidence of American Thanksgiving’s powerful influence on little Belize, just six hundred miles south.

Amandala

Its powerful here only because so many Belizeans have lived in the states for work and school and return home and continue the tradition. And Belize people need few reasons to celebrate anything.

Happy thanksgiving wish for everyone. Just me and the woman today although many of the resorts are havin parties, but we want to do our own thing. So I'm making a traditional dinner anyway. Fresh lobster boiled and then sautéed with a mix of butter, fresh garlic and red pepper. A fillet of fried snapper. Sides of salad, and vegetables. Then for desert some peach halves topped with shredded cheddar, and slices of home-grown watermelon

I got Lido some cow bones, pig’s feet and raw tripe for dessert over at the ranch. Mr. Rum gets all the left over fish and lobster he wants. For dessert he catches all the mice he wants.

Our after dinner entertainment we will be watching Lido chase Mr. Rum around the yard until Rum climbs over the fence. The Lido will get distracted and Mr Rum will stalk Lido and then run up behind him and tag him, then Mr. Rum takes off running, But Lido is faster and tackles Mr. Rum.

My money is on Team Lido.