Thanksgiving, is That You?

It’s my first holiday away from home, and it’s amazing how much it just didn’t feel like Thanksgiving. Christmas smacks you in the face from Black Friday on, but Thanksgiving I’d always thought of as a subtler holiday. It creeps up and is celebrated by watching the parade with your family and smelling Turkey in the oven. I never really thought about the little cues that my surroundings gave leading up to Thanksgiving that made it feel like a holiday, until they weren’t there. I missed little moments like talking to people who also celebrated the day, asking where everyone was going and how they were traveling.

Instead my T.A. told me the whole history, from the religious persecution of the Pilgrims to the weather conditions and failed crops leading up to the meal. I’d totally forgotten about that part of Thanksgiving. The cutest part was when one of my kids had never heard of the holiday before and had no idea why we weren’t coming to school at the end of the week. I started to explain that it’s mostly about getting together and eating certain foods with your family. One boy raised his hand and said, “Rebecca, I think I understand why we celebrate it here. In China we have a lot to give thanks for too, so we can also celebrate Thanksgiving.” In my whining about missing the delicious meal, I’d totally forgotten about the giving thanks part! That is why I work with children.

I was grateful to have Thursday and Friday off, although it is followed by a six day work week (thanks, China). My staff even sponsored a last-minute Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant in the city called NOLA. We were treated to squash soup, turkey, mashed potatoes (pretty accurately made), and broccoli casserole. I think that last dish was supposed to be like green bean casserole, but it didn’t quite pan out. It was such a tease, especially since I’d been really craving that gooey, salty, crunchily delicious dish.

On the menu it read that our dessert was a sampling of American apple pie a la mode, pumpkin pie, and pecan pie. All meal I waited to sink my fork into a warmed pecan pie. To my surprise (of course), it came as one pie. It was a strange mixture of what was supposed to be all three types under “ice cream” made with Chinese powder milk. Just like mom used to make….

It was a fun night after all, though, and the free wine and beer didn’t hurt. It was nice to gather together for a meal that was at least more like Thanksgiving than the vegetable hot pot I had for lunch. The weirdest part was that I had to go to work the next day, and it was only Wednesday.

Biggest Reminder that I was in China: Watching the Chinese teachers try to eat our heavy American feast, and only succeeding by skipping the gravy and dousing everything in Chili sauce.