Sunday, November 16, 2014

The first time I cooked for Thanksgiving (in China)

This is for weeps and for good cheers.

A young American woman is assigned to Beijing and by working so hard there she looses track of holidays back home, until a Chinese woman cheerfully chirps, " Happy Thanksgiving!" with a grin, well pleased with being familiar with American holidays.

The American had completely forgotten and missed her first Thanksgiving ever. The only time she missed one. Saddened by the lapse, Lucy determined to avoid  that happening again.  She decides the next year to assemble a small group of co-workers to make a celebration for themselves, a group of some four women.

Word of the group of women's  activity spreads across the company and people she does not know ask to join and their party grows beyond the capacity of their tiny apartment. So they move it. By moving, word spreads and things start to get out of hand. Then word spreads in a way seemingly unique to  China and the enterprise overtakes the young girl's ability.

She is a brilliant cook now and her blog is an internet blessing, but she knew little about cooking then. She learned as she went along. Now living with her husband, Loic in Lyon, her blog, Lucy's Kitchen Notebook is one of the sweetest places I know on the internet. I hope you enjoy her story as much as I do. This is my favorite Thanksgiving tale.

Lucy's Kitchen Notebook

4 comments:

Dust Bunny Queen said...

What a lovey story. I wish she had more current postings as well.

This year for Thanksgiving it is just me and my husband. I am doing a duck. Long Island. I will steam it in the wok until it is mostly done and then use Chinese spices and honey to really crisp it up in the oven. I haven't decided on the side dishes yet. Any suggestions?

The best is the stock from the steaming process and the duck carcass to make soup later. I make a won ton soup with shrimp dumplings. Nothing beats duck broth for won ton soup.

Not your traditional American Thanksgiving this year....but one of my favorites.

Chip Ahoy said...

I do not have any specific suggestions. But googling for images [duck dinner] shows several good possibilities.

I'd think in terms of color.

Whatever starch decide will be bland in appearance. I notice my own food photography turns out rather unhappily monotone.

So, roasted beets are wonderful blast of red. Peeling them and slicing them can make your whole kitchen look like a bloodbath if you're not mindful of every surface you touch. It's fun.

That's what I'd do. Mix fresh bright things like mixed salad with apple, skins on so their color shows, handmade dressing with brightness you add, like raspberry vinegar and including raspberry preserves for a sweet element.

Mashed parsnips with additions like garlic in place of mashed potato.

Asparagus with pecans.

An eye for color and an aim for keeping the whole project simple.

That's where I inevitably fail. I keep thinking of one thing after another until there is more than any one person can eat.

The last big dinner I made for my sibs here at home I ground popcorn kernels in the coffee mill and produced spicy polenta. My nephew said, "I don't eat no grits." I said, "You did last night." He never made the connection between bland white grits from hominy and straight up ground corn spiced up polenta. But that is a dull orange and possibly too spicy for your duck.

I bet the duck cost a fortune.

Last week I saw smallish turkeys for $9.00. Not much larger than a very large chicken. I debated tossing one into the cart just because, but then thought, "eh, not much room in the freezer."

Synova said...

Wonderful story... brings to mind trying to cook for the holidays in the Philippines and the commissary didn't have Cool Whip for 5 months (and never had whipable cream). I bought Cool Whip the next July and just kept it in the freezer until November. It was too hot and humid so all my attempts at Norwegian goodies sort of... wilted.

I'd been thinking of duck again, because my family (husband) likes duck. They had some for about $15 each at the grocery store. I haven't been all that happy with how it's turned out the last few times I made it though.

We'll probably just have turkey.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

Thanksgiving just wouldn't work in the Dominican Republic.