First in a series

Best Thanksgiving of his life, said the holiday traveler and City Councilman Jim Clarke.

Thanksgiving with an Italian accent.

What’s a man to do when he is thousands of miles from Culver City and a holiday won’t wait?

On a 10-day visit to Italy, Mr. Clarke invested 50 percent of his trip in the scenic seaside community of Capo d’Orlando, Culver City’s newest Sister City.

He toured Capo in May along with Mayor Jeff Cooper and Vice Mayor Thomas Small ahead of the Sister City confirmation.

This time was different.

For Mr. Clarke, this visit was the winner.

“Generally, I used my five days in Capo d’Orlando as a base to go out sightseeing,” he said.

“The best part was the Thanksgiving dinner they threw for me. I had asked if there was an American family who would be celebrating Thanksgiving.

“There wasn’t. So what they did, unbeknownst to me, was to plan a whole Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant.”

Thank you, Sister City, and the good burghers of Capo d’Orlando.

Mr. Clarke said the restaurant owner came in and cooked his first-ever Thanksgiving dinner.

Mr. Clarke’s eyes widened.

Since the Councilman was in town, Capo’s brass turned out.

“We had 22 people for Thanksgiving dinner,” said Mr. Clarke. “The mayor and his wife were there, the City Council members and their families.

“I still don’t know who did this. But we had a very good time. We sang karaoke songs in Italian.”

Mr. Clarke’s traditional Thanksgiving table could have been found anywhere in America – turkey, mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, stuffing, carrots, cheesecake for dessert.

“Best ever,” Mr. Clarke said.

(To be continued)