Thanksgiving

It's been a while since I've posted here. Things have been busy and let's face it, I now know how to say "I don't eat innards, head or feet" making for less culinary shocks to write about.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday and an opportunity to prove that I really can cook. My classmates and I have decided that in the spirit of the holiday, we're going to go all out and have a traditional turkey dinner. Of course, many of the dishes had to be modified, and slight changes were made to secret recipes.

We ordered a turkey at one of the Western restaurants in town; the bird costs an astronomical $5 a pound. We'll be eating a small one this year. Each of our apartments has a small kitchen; two burners, and a microwave if you're lucky. One of my classmates became so frustrated with the setup that he went out and bought a small oven. We met last week and divided the dishes among us. Basically, we were free to cook whatever we wanted. I chose pumpkin soup and corn, both of which I can't remember ever having at my family's Thanksgiving.

Today I went to Sabrina's, a tiny Western food store, selling only those things which are impossible to find in China. I bought coconut milk for the soup, mustard for the eggs, cheese and crackers, and olives.

The soup only has three ingredients: squash (couldn't find any pumpkin), coconut milk and chicken base. I microwaved the squash instead of roasting it. I made the chicken base out of a package of bouillon, and poured the coconut milk into the pan. As soon as the milk was heated, I took the nuked squash and starting adding it little by little into the milk. Soon the pot was boiling away while I used chopsticks to stir. A pot of boiling chicken base sat ready on the next burner. I began to add it to the soup pot, bringing the soup to the desired thickness.

I turned off the burner and tasted: It was awful! The sweetness of the coconut milk was hidden under the flavor of the squash, leaving an odd taste that clung to the roof of your mouth.

I put the soup pot in the refrigerator in hopes that Sarah can save it. I added salt and more chicken base hoping that would put off the flavor of the coconut milk. It didn't seem to help much, and I was getting sick of tasting it.

My Chinese roommate arrived home shortly after the soup was put away. She showed me several large bags that were overflowing with candy. These were her contributions to the dinner tomorrow. Having never tasted turkey, she is really excited.

She asked me what kinds of food we will be eating on Thanksgiving. I'd tell her, but I honestly don't know how to say "stuffing" in Chinese. I've told her several times that we are going to be eating traditional American food. She opened one of the packages of candy, and asked me what I was making. I told her about the soup, and how I thought the flavor was a little off. She agreed to try some and pulled out a bowl.

"Just try a little before you pour yourself a bowl. Let me know what you think of it first."

She dipped her spoon into the orange soup and took a sip.

"Zhen Qiquai!" She exclaimed. She ran over to the sink and spit the mess into the drain.

"This isn't very good. It's so weird!" She cupped a hand under the running tap water and began to rinse her mouth.

It gave me a good laugh. I was nearly on the floor and in tears when she stopped the rinsing. If anything, making the soup was worth that fine moment. Now I just have to see what Sarah thinks...