Two Places at Once: Thanksgiving in TN and Beijing

November 28th, 2008. China, Family

This Thanksgiving, I wished that I could have been in two places at once.

On Thanksgiving day, my entire family gave thanks at my parents’ house in Tennessee.  My parents, siblings, grandmother, aunts, uncles, cousins, siblings and nieces were all there.  Thirty people, nine different family groups from four different time zones.  In other words…everyone but me.
I wish I had been there the week before to help decide on the menu and do the grocery shopping.  I wish that I could have been there the day before to bake with my mom.  I wish I had been there the day of to make the cranberry sauce and baste the turkey.  I wish I had been there to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.  I wish I had been there to pick my brother and his family up at the airport.  I wish I had been there to hug every single family member as they walked into the house from the cold.  I wish I had been there as my father said the prayer.  I wish I had been there as we all sat at the makeshift banquet hall in my dad’s shop.  I wish I had been there to play games after dinner.  I wish I had been there to eat pumpkin cheesecake.  I wish I had been there after everyone went home.  I wish I had been there to eat leftovers.  I wish I had been there the day after Thanksgiving to help decorate the house for Christmas.

Tennessee Home

Tennessee Home

This Thanksgiving, I wish I could have been in two places at once.

On Thanksgiving day, Nik and I slept in before walking to the Beijing Train Station to buy tickets on the Sunday night train to Shanghai.  Then we went to the coolest grocery/snack store ever!!!  It is right across the street from the train station, and it was filled with nothing but Chinese snacks for the railroad travelers.  There were bins of candy, gift boxes of tea and rows upon rows of sweet drinks and potato chips.  We picked up a few mystery items and headed over to Jaime and Tim’s hotel for a little taste test.

Beijing Thanksgiving Hot Pot

Beijing Thanksgiving Hot Pot

After a couple hours, we got antsy and decided to proceed to our own version of Thanksgiving dinner.  Nik had done the research, and found a recommended Chinese hot-pot restaurant just a few blocks from the hotel called Dong Lai Shun.  We arrived at 5pm, just before the dinner rush, and were seated immediately.  We ordered the pre-set menu for 4, which included 5 trays of thinly sliced meat, 8 prawns, 4 skewers of precooked and seasoned beef, cabbage, rice noodles, egg noodles, tofu, Chinese broccoli, peanut dipping sauce with onions and basil, pickled garlic, and watermelon and tomatoes for dessert.  After the food items were delivered, the hot pot arrived and we began cooking.  Everything was delicious, and we all ate until we were stuffed!  Just the way Thanksgiving dinner is supposed to be!!

before & after

before & after

We rolled ourselves out of the restaurant through the packed lobby of people waiting for our table.  The night was still young, but we didn’t know what to do, so we walked…and walked…and walked.  Pit stops were made at the public toilets, and we eventually wound back to the Night Market.  Nik wanted to stop to take photos of the bizarre offerings, and 5 minutes later we were sucked in.  Jaime had a skewer of candied fruit, Tim and Nik shared a scorpion, and Tim fulfilled his desire to sample starfish.  Watching the guys eat the scorpion was hilarious, and so tempting that Jaime even took a bite!!!  Apparently, scorpions aren’t very meaty so most of the substance was exoskeleton.  The things people will eat on vacation!!!

Post dinner snack

Post dinner snack

This Thanksgiving, I wish I could have been in two places at once.

In fact, I did manage to be in two places at once.  Friday morning after Thanksgiving Day, I woke up at 7 and called my parents at 7:30am.  Because of the 14 hour time difference, it was 5:30pm their time…or 30 minutes before chow time.  I talked to both of my parents, my grandmother, three of my uncles, one cousin, my brother and my sister-in-law.  It was so nice to hear familiar voices, and it was great to hear that they are all following the blog.  Everyone was surprised, and a little sad to hear that our adventure will be ending in just three weeks.  But I think they were happy that we’ll be at home for Christmas.  Also, I heard the biggest and best news ever!!!  My brother and sister-in-law will be extending our family by one more this coming June!!!

For all of my family members that are reading this…I love you and miss you.  I am so thankful for your support throughout this adventure of my life.  It is great to hear that you are all living vicariously through me, because we are truly blessed to have had this opportunity to travel.  I can’t wait to share even more when we get home.

Family (photo taken at our reunion this past June)

Family (photo taken at our reunion this past June)


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