Everyone’s excited for their Thanksgiving feast of turkey and stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, apple pie and pumpkin pie, and of course, the five pounds of weight gain afterwards. While among Chinese families, it isn’t a holiday we normally value and celebrate, at least not to the level of extravagance of most American families. It is a holiday when companies and schools have a day off, so we use this time to have a family gathering, not to celebrate the essence of Thanksgiving, though just to spend some time together and see each other.
My large family, grandparents and cousins included, came over to my house to have dinner. So this Thanksgiving and like my other Thanksgivings, we had roasted duck instead of turkey. We had bok choy and other Asian vegetables. We had cold-dish jellyfish, sautéed tilapia fish, and cocktail shrimps. What part of this sounds like a Thanksgiving dinner?
This isn’t just our family though. Turkey just isn’t a popular food item among Chinese people. They say, “turkey doesn’t taste good, it tastes bland.” Oh well. At least we won’t have to fight for the last turkey at the supermarket, or the last baked pumpkin pie on the shelf. So we just had ice cream cones for dessert. Watched some TV, talked about each other’s families, and we called it a night.
I’m sure “Thanksgiving” is celebrated differently at other non-American families too.
Happy Thanksgiving!
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From giving thanks to family gathering, different cultures interpret the same holiday in distinctive ways. Though school is not open for some Jewish holidays, some Asian households treat them as another Thanksgiving.
Reminds me of my family. Oftentimes I would eat my thanksgiving dinner with Cha Siu and turkey side by side. Thanksgiving is about the family aspect. Food is a close second.