Comments on: Let us give thanks http://www.froginawell.net/china/2008/11/let-us-give-thanks/ The China History Group Blog Thu, 09 Feb 2012 18:35:30 -0800 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: gina http://www.froginawell.net/china/2008/11/let-us-give-thanks/comment-page-1/#comment-134859 gina Mon, 01 Dec 2008 16:50:02 +0000 http://www.froginawell.net/china/?p=878#comment-134859 I had Thanksgiving with a Chinese family who ordered a turkey from Carrefour, and had a similar reaction: the turkey is dry and not good, and a duck would have been so much better. Unfortunately, their daughter, by attending high school and college in America, had insisted on a Turkey, so her parents begrudgingly made the traditional Thanksgiving feast...but also made Kungpao Shrimp. While I don't see the Chinese accepting a holiday based around turkey, which they don't like, I could certainly see a holiday based around food and family being accepted into China. In fact, if it is put in that context, I'm surprised it hasn't caught on faster. If I were a businessman, I would start marketing this. If KFC can sell shrimp rolls and barbecue beef, I don't see why Thanksgiving can't be about a family eating duck. I had Thanksgiving with a Chinese family who ordered a turkey from Carrefour, and had a similar reaction: the turkey is dry and not good, and a duck would have been so much better. Unfortunately, their daughter, by attending high school and college in America, had insisted on a Turkey, so her parents begrudgingly made the traditional Thanksgiving feast…but also made Kungpao Shrimp.

While I don’t see the Chinese accepting a holiday based around turkey, which they don’t like, I could certainly see a holiday based around food and family being accepted into China. In fact, if it is put in that context, I’m surprised it hasn’t caught on faster. If I were a businessman, I would start marketing this. If KFC can sell shrimp rolls and barbecue beef, I don’t see why Thanksgiving can’t be about a family eating duck.

]]> By: Jonathan Dresner http://www.froginawell.net/china/2008/11/let-us-give-thanks/comment-page-1/#comment-134729 Jonathan Dresner Fri, 28 Nov 2008 22:23:23 +0000 http://www.froginawell.net/china/?p=878#comment-134729 Just from a carnivorous standpoint, duck isn't that different from turkey, especially for those of us for whom the skin and dark meat is more than half the fun. Now that American cooks have started getting fancy with turkeys (I turned on NPR for a few minutes yesterday and heard a discussion concerning the best way to coat the turkey with bacon during roasting, and whether the soaked cheesecloth was necessary) the iconic dish is starting to morph anyway, and appears in traditional form really only in pictures. Sweet potatoes, of course, have been in China for centuries. And who needs green bean casserole, anyway? I'm sure the Chinese can come up with some kind of similarly awful comfort food. Just from a carnivorous standpoint, duck isn’t that different from turkey, especially for those of us for whom the skin and dark meat is more than half the fun. Now that American cooks have started getting fancy with turkeys (I turned on NPR for a few minutes yesterday and heard a discussion concerning the best way to coat the turkey with bacon during roasting, and whether the soaked cheesecloth was necessary) the iconic dish is starting to morph anyway, and appears in traditional form really only in pictures. Sweet potatoes, of course, have been in China for centuries. And who needs green bean casserole, anyway? I’m sure the Chinese can come up with some kind of similarly awful comfort food.

]]> By: Yan Xishan http://www.froginawell.net/china/2008/11/let-us-give-thanks/comment-page-1/#comment-134698 Yan Xishan Fri, 28 Nov 2008 15:13:01 +0000 http://www.froginawell.net/china/?p=878#comment-134698 How odd, I was just blogging about the difficulties of importing this holiday to my native Shanxi. In my opinion, we Chinese will never accept a holiday based around a huge chunk of meat. Most Chinese who have had turkey have had this reaction: 难吃死了！ How odd, I was just blogging about the difficulties of importing this holiday to my native Shanxi. In my opinion, we Chinese will never accept a holiday based around a huge chunk of meat. Most Chinese who have had turkey have had this reaction: 难吃死了！

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