Let's Talk Turkey! Besides talking about Thanksgiving Day, the phrase "Lets talk turkey" is a colloquial phrase meaning, let us talk business in a straight forward manner and can also be used to refer to money.
As many people outside the USA know, Thanksgiving Day is one of America’s most important and popular holidays along with Christmas Day. But, what about the American expat in China or Asia on Thanksgiving Day which falls on November 24th this year?
Naturally, foreign national holidays or festival days in other countries usually have little or no meaning, unless, of course there is some commercial aspect to be exploited. China is no exception to this and understandably so. The American Thanksgiving Holiday is such an exception to the norm, and China is learning to exploit the commercial aspects of this day in the larger cities across China.
Over the last four years when primarily teaching English, I would give Chinese students classes on some aspect of American culture to include national Holidays and festival days such as Halloween. I’ll leave it up to all you non-Americans not familiar with Thanksgiving Day to Google it for a more detailed historical background and information.
Thanksgiving Day was officially proclaimed a national holiday in 1863 by President Abraham Lincoln. Since December 26, 1941 when made a Federal law, Thanksgiving is always celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November and officially kicks-off the Christmas holiday season. It is the most traveled holiday, even more so than the Christmas Holiday period.
Unlike the American July 4th Independence Day, Western New Year, or Chinese New Year, this holiday is not noted for firework shows and lots of revelry. The annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York City is one of the exceptions.
Let it suffice to say, like its namesake, Thanksgiving is a day for families and/or friends to gather for a meal and give thanks to God for all their blessings in life. Like the Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival period, it’s a reunion of family members who may not have seen each other all year or even many years.
It’ also a time when churches, charitable organizations, companies, celebrities and other individuals prepare and host a traditional Thanksgiving dinner and/or distribute to the poor, unemployed, homeless, elderly, or otherwise needy people who have nobody to care for or about them, or their otherwise difficult plight in life.
Of all the things in America I do not like, this is certainly one I do like, and one of the greatest things we do year-round nationwide, but especially on Thanksgiving and Christmas. For those who have no God, atheists, agnostics, etc., Thanksgiving can still be celebrated in the same spirit of being thankful for whatever you have, regardless of rich or poor.
In the Four and Five Star Hotels, Western restaurants and maybe a few other places in China, they have learned to cash-in on Thanksgiving Day offering their various interpretations of a traditional American Thanksgiving Dinner, of course at very inflated, sometimes exorbitant prices. Even Hooter’s is offering a Thanksgiving Dinner!
What is a “Traditional” Thanksgiving dinner?
That’s a damn good question! Of course most Americans would say turkey, dressing and gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, etc. but this is Twenty First Century traditional. Traditional as in what’s known as “The First Thanksgiving” dinner in 1621 at Plymouth Plantation, or even further back to Jamestown? Once again, there’s that famous word that seems to always appear and creep into discussions. What is “Traditional”?
In the latter part of the Twentieth Century until now, traditional Thanksgiving dinner is whatever you want it to be. America is so ethnically and religiously diversified, it’s impossible to dictate to people what they should eat on any given day. Therefore, what you eat, or how much is NOT what is important.
What IS important is to think about AND be thankful for how good you have it in life regardless of socio-economic status, because the older you get, the more you know there is ALWAYS someone worse off than you.
I’ll give you a recent example of a young Chinese lady I saw on CCTV English Channel. She was born without arms, however, using her feet, she can play the piano, feed herself, drive a car, etc. I am 100% sure, even though I’ve never met her, she would tell you there are people worse off than her and she would be correct. Her attitude on life is superb to say the least.
What am I thankful for as an expat living nearly five years in China?
There are many things and these are only a few;
1. Being in relatively good health with a good mind.
2. Having good family.
3. Having good Chinese and foreign friends.
4. Having a decent comfortable home.
5. Having enough edible food to eat.
6. Having a relatively good and secure environment to live.
7. Having a platform like CLM/ALM to express and share my thoughts, opinions and stories with people across the Blogosphere.
8. Having enough money to enjoy these things, as well as maybe a good turkey dinner Thanksgiving Day!
All these things are interchangeable and interlinked with the possible exception of good health. Without good health, you’ve got nothing, regardless of how much money you have.
Regardless of ethnicity or nationality, whether eating dumplings or duck, soup or salmon, turkey or tofu, I hope everyone celebrates each day as Thanksgiving Day and are thankful for what they have and not complain about what they don’t have.
It could always be worse.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving Day!
However, as a Canadian in China I am tired to death of having Chinese people ask me about Thanksgiving - American Thanksgiving. In Canada we celebrate Thanksgiving in October.
While I enjoy celebrating Thanksgiving with my family and friends the absolutely disgusting commercialization of Thanksgiving and Christmas is enough to make me vomit. Even worse now that I am China I am bombarded by this crap not to mention Halloween. Halloween in China. Hahaha Halloween, the celebration of the time when the spirit world is fully accessible to our world in atheist China.
Of course every downside comes with an upside and Christmas time is a real bonus time for me in China as I am constantly referred to as 圣诞老人 - Shèngdàn lǎorén or in English - Santa Claus. What a great way to meet Chinese women and have them sit on my knee. Ho Ho Ho Ho Ho.
Ah, I can hear a 'Nasty Santa' when I read him. hehehe
I suppose one could say, given the talk of turkey in here and your comment about Santa Claus that I can now understand how the expression "You are a real turkey." may have come into being. hahahahaha
Sincere desire, forever, director of life, laugh about life, life is not easy, can read the other directors understand each other, catching the old, the other directors really hard to read, not for money, not for status, not face, in order to truly love each other, that is happiness, others a car, a house, they are irrelevant in our own half the world, we daily necessities, tourism running, catching to getting older, it is good to very easy, but in this flow of money to the supremacy of materialism Guang society very, very difficult, really hoping to run into each other read the directors, to make a mountain to stay a long time that children are children, destined to a big crowd there's you you I am here waiting for you, we take a good common back then. Destined to meet thousands of miles, missed the opposite may not meet
茫茫人海中能在这里遇到你可遇不求希望我是那个你一直在寻找的人我是普通人，我是个诚实善良，重情义的人。人生走过了几十年已经没有年少的激情和冲动了。理想中的伴侣是个善良，真诚，宽容，能理解人，同情达理有孝心和爱心。一个人走得久了，会累，有个人陪我，家是休息的港湾，让人感到温馨平安快乐。真心想成家的，如果感觉彼此适合再联系本人。进一步了解和沟通。互相真诚，真心，幸福过后半生，呵呵！谢谢........ 家是个休息的港湾，让人感到温馨！只想在这里找到相互欣赏又相互依赖共担风雨，共享美好属于我自己的有缘人真情真爱。忠诚、信任和体贴是维系两个人关系的基本纽……如能得到真情我会加倍珍惜希望我是那个你一直在寻找的人。
渴望真诚、天长地久、董的生活、笑对人生、人生真的不容易、能读董对方理解对方、相扶到老、真正读董对方很难、不为金钱、不为地位、真正的为了相互的爱、那才是幸福、别人有车、有房、他们就是拥有半个地球于我们不相干、我们柴米油盐、 旅游跑步、相扶到慢慢变老、这好向很容易、但在这物欲撗流金钱至上的社会就很难很难、真心希望能碰到相互读董、茫茫人海你在那里，有缘的你我在这里等你、共同走好我们的后半生。有缘千里相会、无缘对面不相逢。