4th of July: This is how we do it.

There were no sparklers. There were no beachside beers. No bonfires. No backyard cookouts and no fireworks lighting up the sky. But, by golly, we made the 4th of July happen in Suphan. With some motivation and a lot of love for America, we re-created this beloved holiday despite the lack of American goods. We had ourselves a great American birthday party, Thai-style. 


The Venue: Song Noom. Dtone and his family were nice enough to allow the farang to take over the restaurant for the night and attempt a barbeque. With a little decorative help, we transformed part of the restaurant into a festive (albeit eclectic) American party.

Happy Birthday America!

Buddha head with American lantern

Thai beer with American flags

The People: Farang! Farang! The farang gathered together to make this happen. Of course, we consisted of mostly Americans, but we got a few Aussies to join in on the festivities! And obviously, being in Thailand, there were some Thais there, too. Dtone's family is amazing and fully partook in the fun by grilling, dancing and waving the flag, while also sporting the red, white and blue. 

                                   

Alex, an Aussie, pretending not to LOVE America

                                                           
The Menu: Chips, hot dogs, homemade burgers, pickles, pasta salad and beer. It actually smelled like 4th of July. The cooking techniques may have been a little different than what we're used to, but it was a complete success...so delicious! And our friend, Liz, is a saviour for making some no-bake desserts. Puppy chow? Yes, please!

                                    

The Music: Awesome. We compiled a list of 'America' songs and rocked out. We had everything from 'Born in the USA' to Whitney's rendition of 'The Star Spangled Banner' to Miley's 'Party in the USA' to 'Chicken Fried.' We had a little bit of everything to get us into a patriotic mood. 


The Red, White and Blue: Clearly the most important part! It all started with the nails which led the way for patriotic clothes, headpieces, plates, necklaces, and du-rags (what up). 

Creepy shot of my nails

                          


Patriotism: It wouldn't be the 4th of July without some American pride. We dressed the part, we sang the part, we danced the part, and we certainly ate the part. One of my favorite moments was when we slowed down the dance moves, waved our mini flags and sang the Star Spangled Banner. To make it even better, some of the Thais joined in. We even got Ote, an adorable little boy, to say "I love America," which was pretty epic. It didn't matter that we were miles and miles and MILES away from home, we brought America to Thailand. I spent the entire night smiling...just like I would have been back home.

Liz and Ote

So maybe it wasn't the beachside 4th of July I am used to, but it was certainly a grand ole time.