How does an ex-pat celebrate Thanksgiving Day in China?...any way he chooses! The day can pass as an ordinary work day, completely breaking from American tradition, or a determined patriot can scare up a turkey and some friends to create the feeling of home.
When our travel schedule confirmed that we would not be in the United States for Thanksgiving, I began to assure myself that it was just one of those days on the calendar that was determined to be "special" by someone in authority at a place in time when it made sense to the ruling majority. I wasn't going to let myself get upset about not spending the day with family and friends gathered around our table to enjoy the meal I love preparing each year.
I really believe that thankgiving must take place every day. I don't need an official holiday to thank God for his love and for the blessings we know because of children, grandchildren, extended family and dear friends.
Keeping sentiment under control went pretty well. There was a longing for the taste of holiday foods and brief periods of homesickness connected to our beloved family and friends, but I remained positive.
Why then, did my heart skip a beat when I read that the Holiday Inn Riverside in the Hankou section of Wuhan was hosting a Thanksgiving buffet? I reported this information to Art and won his agreement that we should get ourselves there on Thursday night to experience the Chinese version of turkey with all the trimmins'.
We invited our two young friends, Relina and Caroline from the Mayflowers Hotel management staff to join us. Both women had previously worked at the Holiday Inn and were happy for the opportunity to sample a bit of America and also to visit with old friends there.
At lunchtime on Thanksgiving, I reunited with the International Women's Group at the monthly luncheon. When my Danish friend Elsa picked me up, she introduced me to another passenger. The new gal was an American! Her name is Nora Adams, raised in Plainfield, Indiana, and she is the first American I have met in this group. After the introduction, I wished her a "Happy Thanksgiving". It was only the second time that day---greeting Art was the first---I could say that to someone who really understood. She returned my greeting and we both laughed resignedly at the knowledge that it meant very little in our current location.
The luncheon menu was Chinese. I tried not to focus on the extreme contrast between that... roasted suckling pig, some kind of octopus dish, seafood soup, rice and a green, sticky sesame dessert roll...and what I would be eating if I were at home. I knew I could easily get the blues. I was comforted knowing that we would have a real meal at dinnertime.
If I could just hold on for a few more hours...
Caroline offered to drive the four of us across town in her new little red Honda hatchback. She is very proud to own an automobile. Compared to riding in a taxi, having Caroline behind the wheel felt very safe. She is cautious and competent. Driving and owning cars is relatively new to the Chinese middle class. When Art asked her how she learned to drive, she told him that she had attended driving school. Her own father, the assumed teacher for most American girls, has never driven.
We navigated the busy Wuhan streets in the rain, crossed the Number One Bridge and arrived at the Holiday Inn thirty minutes later.
The star of the buffet, the roasted turkey, was center stage, presented with all the drama of theatrical lighting and shiny carving tools. We spotted her when we entered the dining room. What a beautiful sight she was! Our mouths began to water in anticipation. We could hardly wait to get in line with our plates.
After a polite delay as we were seated and served a glass of red wine (I was proud of myself for not enlightening the Chinese about the International protocol of matching fowl with a nice white wine), we hightailed it to the turkey line.
Relina talked in Chinese with the server assigned to do the carving. When Art approached the bird, the server handed over the carving tools and let Art carve for the four of us. He expertly sliced the tender white meat onto our plates. I caught myself wondering what the local Health Department would have to say about a guest having contact with the utensils and food. We've learned not to compare our American expectations with what is done overseas. No one behind us complained. We happily returned to our table to sample the turkey.
It was delicious! We were also given a little silver-dollar sized serving of a stuffing and a spoonful of cranberry sauce. Art circled the buffet table multiple times asking outloud, "Where are the mashed potatoes and gravy?", only to concede that he was out of luck. The Chinese are not excited by potatoes. It was rice, dumplings or noodles---poor substitutes to a German-American boy. We tried a dessert labeled "pumkin pie".
We answered questions from Caroline and Relina about our traditions and enjoyed warm and interesting conversation about many topics. It was not so different from what takes place at home around our own table.
Returning to the hotel, we felt satisfied that we had celebrated Thanksgiving as best we could in China. I made a promise to Art that I would prepare a turkey dinner when we got back to the States, complete with mashed potatoes, gravy and a real pumpkin pie. The Chinese version of pumkin pie just didn't cut it.
It was hard not to compare throughout the day, but I have to say, I felt as filled with thankfulness as on any previous Thanksgiving. Circumstances, from one year to another, often change dramatically. We don't have to think long or look hard to produce a generous list of reasons to be grateful, whatever the circumstances. The faces around the table change but the basics are the same.
What is most meaningful to us about Thanksgiving can't be contained in a day. We knew our loved ones were safe and engaged in plans for the day that were meaningful to them. We'll gather together again soon enough and be all the richer for new and different experiences to share.
