Growing up as the eldest child of Korean immigrant parents, I was usually our family's conduit to the intricacies of American life.
Between school and my friends, I could often be found running home to share my latest discoveries: "Mom, have you ever tried peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?" "Do you know about this fat white guy named Santa Claus?" "Ever hear about this weird lady called the Tooth Fairy who pays cash for old teeth?"
As a young child, I distinctly remember learning about Thanksgiving for the first time. School taught me about the Pilgrims, Native Americans, and the first feasts at Plymouth, MA. However, from my friends, I learned about the annual family reunions centered around such exotic foods as turkey, chestnut stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, and pumpkin pie.
Koreans, as a general rule, never eat turkey. Either turkeys never made it to Asia or my carnivorous ancestors adopted the belief, "Why eat turkey when you can eat steak (or dog)?"
Anyway, at some point, I remember my brother and I begging my mother for a "traditional" Thanksgiving dinner, replete with turkey, stuffing, gravy, and sweet potatoes. To her credit, my mother was always willing to give anything a try in order to make her two sons happy. In many regards, she found adjusting to life in America as exhilarating as we did.
The only problem was that cooking is not my mother's strength. And really, if you've never cooked anything before, it's probably not a good idea to start with a turkey. Hell, even experienced chefs have been known to struggle with it. How else to explain that awesomely unique American phenomenon known as the Butterball hotline?
The first turkey we had for Thanksgiving tasted like it was boiled in water. I didn't watch my mother cook it so I can't actually verify that it wasn't. All I know is that I've never had anything grosser in my entire life. Thank God for Chinese delivery food.
Our second Thanksgiving dinner was catered by a professional chef. To this day, I've never had a Thanksgiving dinner that tasted as good. Sadly, the idea of the four of us sitting quietly at a table in our own home surrounded by strangers serving us didn't really fit my idea of a traditional Thanksgiving.The deliciousness of the food was matched only by the sadness of the ordeal.
Gradually, our family came up with our own versions of Thanksgiving. Sometimes we ate out a restaurant. Sometimes we had food delivered. Other times we'd have a Thanksgiving buffet at the country club. For the past few years, our Thanksgiving dinners have been centered around giant Peking ducks.
But now that the Peanut is four years old, I'm all about the traditional Thanksgiving. In many ways, Thanksgiving is just another example of how I strive to give my daughter all the things that I didn't have growing up.
So today, we cooked up a turkey with all the fixings. While all the adults were in the kitchen, my daughter ran around yelling "gobble, gobble" and was constantly peeking into the oven to monitor the progress of the turkey. You've never seen a child so excited about eating a turkey.
And although I personally would have preferred a fat steak, seeing the deliriously happy look on my daughter's face was worth the tryptophan-induced coma that ensued.
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! May we all realize how lucky we truly are.
Hi - your daughter is adorable . love the blog - landed here via rohini's
Posted by: d | December 12, 2008 at 05:50 AM
thnks
Posted by: adanali | December 22, 2008 at 10:54 PM
I'm glad your Peanut loved it all. I'll never forget my one niece looking at the turkey all dressed up for the oven and saying "Where's it's head?!" I think everyone changed the subject.
Here's our Korean family version:
http://blackbeltoma.blogspot.com/2008/11/gobble-claw.html
Posted by: Grace aka blackbelt | January 03, 2009 at 10:23 PM
My husband is a double-whammy; not just a finicky eater, but a recently imported finicky Korean eater. For three of our four married years, I tried to cajole him into turkey dinner for Thanksgiving. No dice. Hates turkey, he says. This made me depressed the first year, go out the second year (separate meals for each of us), and be with friends the third year while he spent his with a Korean friend.
"But I make a REALLY GOOD TURKEY!! I said the fourth year. I'm MAKING IT."
This year, not only did he try and actually like my turkey (he didn't like the texture of the fixings, but yes on the turkey); he actually ate leftovers of it with kimchee.
VICTOIRE!!!
Posted by: Xibee | January 08, 2009 at 05:18 PM
Such a pretty daughter and 'perfect' turkey!
I migrated from Singapore to Canada 2 yrs ago and decided to cook turkey for the first time last Christmas. Since the party I was cooking for consisted of my ex-Singaporean friends--who overwhelmingly preferred dark meat--I decided not to hazard cooking a whole turkey on my first try, but to do turkey drumsticks instead (these were going super-cheap at $0.98/lb at the Asian supermarket!). My recipe was culled from a few internet sources.
I brined the drumsticks the night before. I made deep, longitudinal pockets in them into which I injected marinade & slivers of onions. I rubbed butter-rich marinade under the skin and butter-honey marinade over the skin. I laid slices of bacon on top of them and poured chicken stock into the roasting pan. Then I surrounded them with onions, potatoes, sweet potatoes & baby-carrots, and covered the roasting pan with foil while roasting. When the meat thermometer touched 160F, I removed the foil so that the skins would brown. [By that time I was out of time, so I browned the skins by putting the drumsticks under the broiler and rotating them!! ]
Turned out delicious! Hubby remarked that turkey usually didn't taste that nice. Friends were going for 2nd, 3rd helpings. Even extra-picky daughter--who usually hates chicken--had a couple of turkey-helpings.
Posted by: YY | January 21, 2009 at 03:20 AM
I am also hosting 19 pelope!!!! I'm really excited though since I love to cook. Plus if I cook then I don't have to clean pre or post guests, which I view as a total win.This year I'm trying something different and I'm going to use apples, cinnamon sticks, onions, sage, and rosemary as my aromatics, so the house should smell amazing!
Posted by: Urooj | July 04, 2012 at 02:53 PM
Yes, even though we're veraaegitn! We're making one for the non-veggie people that are coming. Plus lentil loaf, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, cauliflower, peas, cornbread, cranberry sauce...And of course pumpkin, apple, pecan, and berry pie!
Posted by: Justin | July 04, 2012 at 05:22 PM
Julia Bose Good morning. About to enjoy a cup of pumkpin spice tea and relax just a bit before the day begins. Thanks for your Thanksgiving wishes and kind words about our American holiday. When first established Thanksgiving was a two day affair-one day for eating and being with family and friends followed by a day of reflection and prayer. Sadly, our priorities have changed quite a bit. It's becoming a forgotten holiday I'm afraid. We give it a small wave as we run by full speed ahead into the Christmas shopping season. Thanksgiving is actually my favorite holiday. Enjoyed a wonderful day with my family watching the Macy's parade (a family tradition) while enjoying cooking and baking together. Hope you all had a chance to get some homemade apple pie. There's nothing quite like it. ;P Enjoyed Miracle on 34th Street, a favorite old movie of ours, a little Andre Rieu, Radio city Christmas Spectacular and, of course, Celtic Thunder on DVD. Lots of good food and conversation in between. Hope you enjoyed a rest while enjoying football. God Bless
Posted by: Isnaini | July 04, 2012 at 08:55 PM
Jennifer Bunch Ryan, Somehow, I knew that you would send us a special hoidaly message, and like the others, I am truly thankful to have you and the group in my life for the hoidalys. I got an early Thanksgiving gift when my Christmas CD came yesterday, and it's great, but for the record, I think you should file a formal protest about not letting you put your Christmas song on it. Just my humble opinion! Also, I thought you might be interested to know that only on is Celtic Thunder Christmas still Number One on Billboard's World Music Chart, it is also Number 102 on Billboard's Top 200, Number 40 on the Christian album chart, Number 15 on the Heatseeker Albums, Number 24 on the Holiday Albums, and Number 2 on the Bluegrass Albums. Still working on your album review. Watch CDBaby, and I'm looking forward to your Street Team activities. Your Friend, Jenni from Silver Spring
Posted by: Shirley | July 04, 2012 at 09:05 PM
Hi Dr. Helen:I'm glad that you feel my pain over PTSLS (post traumatic sinprg lamb syndrome). I was just being a big wuss about my food, but at least you and I have dignified that attitude and helped me to create an afflicted group status.Where is my Federal set aside program?Notice that my horror at lamb-carnivory didn't drive me to vegetarianism! My father was raised on a farm and has given me grief for years on this subject.My in-laws have gotten me to eat lamb in recent years, but I took the moral high road and ignored the mint jelly, which is clearly a Communist plot.The Spring Lambs story is quite true, even if I could come up with a "Silence of the Spring Lambs" parody.Happy Thanksgiving, again..."Eric Blair"
Posted by: Federico | July 04, 2012 at 10:31 PM
jlfoot1 Happy Thanksgiving, Ryan! I have to say I'm loving haivng this site available for you and for us. It is so much fun to check in now and then to see what other Thunderheads or you are thinking about. I'm sure we've given you lots of reading material and I hope it's given you pleasure. It certainly has us. I'm so looking forward to the last couple weeks of the tour. Will see you in Rochester and Binghamton (for a bittersweet farewell, I fear). Rest up and live as true an American Thanksgiving as you can big piece missing for you, I'm sure, is your family. But you'll see them all very soon. All my best to you, Ryan on this special day, and THANK YOU for all you give to us, your fans. xo
Posted by: Wheny | August 04, 2012 at 04:22 PM
Brittany H. Ryan Anything can be put on a pizza in America I don't know if a football would taste very good toughh I hope you and everyone had a good thanksgiving.(P.S) I do hope you see this. I left you a twitter reply, telling you about a movie I finished just last night called Hachi: A Dog's Tale,' and if you & the boys, (& everyone else of course,) want something that would really touch your hearts, you need to see it. I never cry at movies. This was only the 2ND movie I have ever cried at in my entire life. See if you can find it somewhere. I really do think that you would like it!!!
Posted by: Atul | August 04, 2012 at 07:34 PM
lynn i guess if they can barbeque a pizza they can have tuekry pizza but i can't guarantee that it would be good. but then some folks like spinish pizza so never can tell. have a wonderful thanksgiving sir ryan kelly of the county tyrone. good friends, good food and a game of backyard ball after eating. work off some of that tuekry. we hare happy to share our holiday with you and hope you have the best day. rest relax and enjoy the ball games. there should be about forty-eleven dozen games on today so you can take your pick.
Posted by: Llogie | August 04, 2012 at 08:26 PM
Jenni G Hi Ryan,Happy Thanksgiving! I agree about a World Wide Thanksgiving. Did you find Turkey Pizza?!? (LOL) I'm sure if you look hard enough you will find it. If Celtic Thunder shluod perform in Daytona Beach, I'll let you know about a pizzeria that makes out of this world Mashed Potato Pizza I think Damian will especially like it. I smells like pizza, has a pizza crust and seasoned cheesy mashed potatoes all you can do to fit a single slice! Hope your day off was relaxing. I am really enjoying your website and loving In Time Best Wishes,Jenni G
Posted by: Serguey | August 04, 2012 at 10:58 PM
Donna Vandenberg Thank you Ryan for a place to chat and share our thoughts and feignels about you and your music. We appreciate this amazing experience of watching your music take hold and become a part of all our lives. We have glimpsed your true self, and you have touched our hearts. I am truly thankful to have been part of this journey, and look forward to what lies ahead for you. Enjoy our American holiday good food, football, parades, and being together with people we care about.
Posted by: Cristy | August 05, 2012 at 12:05 AM
College operator Michael Alfman explained some pupils think shedding their work was a blessing in disguise merely because it gave them a chance to pursue a longheld desire.
Posted by: ルイヴィトン 財布 新作 2013 | August 16, 2013 at 11:51 AM