Thanksgiving for Turkey

My first Thanksgiving in China was spent in the town of Oubei, right by Wenzhou, China.  I wouldn't recommend spending Thanksgiving there, as there are no turkeys to be found.  However, if you are ever in a small Chinese town for Thanksgiving, then you should know that roast duck can work as a replacement for turkey.

You see, if you buy a duck, they'll feather it, roast it, barbecue it, chop it up, and put it in a bag with soy sauce, so that all you have to do is throw it on the plate with your homemade mashed potatoes and peas.  It is a uniquely multicultural experience (aka--a poor expat's meal idea).

My second Thanksgiving in China was spent in Shanghai.  I was working that evening, and so missed out on any chance of an American-style Thanksgiving dinner.  But, I made the most of it later that night, by making tikka masala, one of my favorite Indian dishes.  And, I won't go into details, but my thanksgiving actually spilled out into loud song that night, after a stranger gave me an onion so that I could make my dish.

There is a point to this blog post.  (Somewhere...I hope.)  Thanksgiving turkeys and Middle Eastern cuisine are typically not things that come to mind when you think of China.  However, I've been happily surprised by the number of Chinese Christians who are seriously investing into the Church in the Middle East.  And I have been honored to meet Chinese Christians who long specifically to see houses of prayer raised up in Turkey.  For this, I give thanks.

And while I wait to properly coordinate my experience of China, turkey, and Thanksgiving, I will ask you to pray for friends of mine from Hong Kong who are in Turkey now (and others who are on their way now!)