THANKSGIVING: The Fat Kid's Day of All Days (Part Deux)

Haven't you always wondered what "ethnic" people eat on Thanksgiving? Do they eat turkey and mashed potatoes? Or weird things like duck and fish eyes. Well, my family eats both, kind of:

Coconut Shrimp

Mi mama made this to hold us kids over before the real food was ready.

Fried Japanese Tofu with Dried Shitake Mushrooms


Lobster Fen Si with Chinese Cabbage

This is my favorite. All of the fen si (glass noodles made of green beans) sucks up the lobster juices and mixes with the cabbage to create the most delectable flavor and texture combination ever.

Garlic Sauteed Asparagus


Grandma's Fen Si

My grandma's recipe involves carrots and dried squid.

Four Kinds of Mushroom

Normal, shitake, golden needle, and baby portabella

Shrimp with tomato sauce


Uncle #5's Sticky Rice

This is always a big hit - sticky rice cooked with pork, dried shrimp, and dried shitake.

Lion's Head

Lions head are basically Chinese meatballs. They are cooked with Chinese cabbage in broth.

Mei Cai Kou Rou

I really can't translate this. It's a very fatty pork with stewed with fermented cabbage. Hans Tang's favorite as a child.

Chinese Vegetable Sauteed with Garlic


Roasted Duck


Fish Dish

I wasn't able to take a picture before it was attacked.

The Turkey

It's more of a symbolic turkey, since no one really ate it.

But Uncle #1 is really good at making it!


DESSERTS
We ate a lot of dessert when we were standing around waiting for the food:

I made cranberry-white chocolate chip cookies


My little cousin is a vegan, and she made vegan treats:
Pumpkin Muffins,


and Green Tea Cupcakes


Someone's neighbor made homemade pumpkin pie


And Aunt #5 made sweet black sticky rice with coconut milk, which is delicious, but I was too full to have more than a bite. I thought that was okay because my mom brought home a quart of it. Unfortunately, she, surprise surprise, didn't put it in the fridge so it went bad the next day. She didn't feel like it was a waste, though, cause she just gave it to Duke, who didn't seem to mind at all. My mother is an odd one. Very odd indeed.

Well that's it. That is all we ate (almost - a few things were able to escape the glare of the camera). My cousin Edith was worried it wasn't enough food, which says something about how much one Pei family can eat. I am very proud of my kinfolk and myself, and am already anticipating the gluttony that is sure to come during Christmas!


THE END

THANKSGIVING: The Fat Kid's Day of All Days (Part I)

Ahh Thanksgiving. That joyous, wondrous holiday where families get together and feast to show thanks for all they have (especially each other). As the official unelected president of the fat kid's club (me:world of food = bush43:u.s.), I declare Thanksgiving to be the noblest and fairest of all holidays. Oh Genius of Geniuses.

As per any Pei Family Event, this Thanksgiving was not to be denied her fair share of gambling, melodrama, and most importantly, delicious Chinese food. Just wait to see how much we ate! (to be revealed in Part II)

Aunt #4 - the Pei Family Resident Chef

She is my hero. Everything she makes tastes like a little bit of Chinese heaven.

Her Palette


Favorite family activity: Mah Jong

Not sure a family gathering could function without it. I definitely don't know what everyone else would do to kill time while Aunt #4 was cooking.

2nd Favorite Family Activity


And this was before we ate.

(I think she died from the anticipation of the fullness to come.)

Where Vultures Feast


My plate: round 1


To Be Continued...