My Thanksgiving - Korea-Style

Better late than never, right? 

My Thanksgiving this year was, of course, lacking in familial atmosphere, but was as close to home as Korea could make it. I kept as many of the traditions and foods alive as was humanly possible. I surrounded myself with good, caring people. I ate as much as my body could handle and peer-pressured non-Americans into eating more because "that's how we do it in America."

So check out the feast. There was a spit-roasted chicken and an epic salad that acted as the appetizer to our meal, but here is the bulk of it.

As you can see, no turkey. What a black day. As it turns out, it's basically impossible to find Turkey in this whole god-forsaken country. So chicken it was. And what a tasty chicken it was! I made stuffing and stuff the chicken with it and it was fabulous.

Pictured, starting from the turkey and moving clockwise, we have meatballs, deviled eggs, mashed potatoes, creamed spinach and mushroom gravy.

This year I learned a lot about Thanksgiving. I learned a lot about substituting ingredients when Korea gets in the way. I made my first successful roux, which I've only been screwing up every time ever for the last three years. I learned that yes, I can pull off a semi-major meal with only a toaster-oven. But even better, I learned more about enjoying the spirit of the holiday, as I celebrated with a majority of non-Americans. I had to keep explaining traditions and "the point" of having something a certain way. I imposed my family's tradition of going around and saying what you're thankful for pre-meal and I so enjoyed being able to share what I was grateful for because I have so, so much good in my life. I enjoyed sharing this American tradition with new friends and feel lucky to have had this experience.

Of course, next up is Christmas dinner. Now that one is going to be a bit more difficult. The plan is all-you-can-eat sushi. I'll try to keep my tears out of the wasabi.