It has been a while since I have posted anything new on the page and there has been a lot of things happening. I will try and keep it as short as possible, but this one might be a bit long. So, find yourself a warm cup of coffee (preferably Stump town) and make yourself comfortable. Here's the news from China.
Well, the most important thing that has happened would have to be the celebration of Thanksgiving. As those who know me best can attest, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. There is no worrying about buying the perfect present or finding the perfect tree. There is no need to stress about finding the clothes to make your costume only to find out that the guy next door is dressing up as the same thing and his costume is much better. All you have to do is show up to your family's house--or in the case for those of us abroad friend's house--with an empty stomach and an appetite.
This year was the first year that I was out of the country for this most special of holidays and that meant that things were changed a little bit. Because the holiday is the only uniquely American holiday--that is a lot of countries have an independence day celebration and most have things like Christmas, but no other country has Thanksgiving--there were things that had to be amended because it was either not available or because it was too hard to make. The first thing, and perhaps the most important difference, was that there was no turkey. I mean, when you think of Thanksgiving you think of turkey, but that is not the easiest thing to get in China. Instead we made due with a few chickens and ducks. At least there were a few pieces of fowl on the table. The other thing that was missing from the table was the cranberry sauce. This may not be a big deal to some people in the States, but to me Thanksgiving is just not the same without the cranberry sauce. There was no alternative for it either, so we had to do without. It was a sad thing, but we got over it.
There were also things added to the table that one usually doesn't see at Thanksgiving, at least not until the day after, like sandwich making supplies. This was to appease the taste of those Chinese friends who did not like the taste of western foods. For the most part the things that were made were well received by the Chinese friends at the table, but some are more picky than others. Oh well, it was a fun time anyway. In the true spirit of things there were multiple bottles of wine as well as a crate of beer that was completely consumed by the end of the night. All in all it was a wonderful celebration and it satisfied that need for a ridiculously large meal and friends around a table.
By the end of the night we had finished seven bottles of wine, twenty four beers (which doesn't sound like much, but you have to see the size of the beers before judging) and a massive amount of food. We also were lucky enough to have musically talented friends to play the guitar and violin for us which was a wonderful way to wind down after stuffing ourselves silly of mashed potatoes and gravy. The pictures I have included were just a few of the ones taken from that night. If you want to see more you can check them out on my Facebook page.
Well, I have a lot more to write about, but unfortunately I don't have the time. I will try and have the rest of it put up soon so keep checking back. I miss everyone and I wish you all Happy Holidays.
Always,
Henry (Hank) Young
Nice page!
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