The holidays are a time where you can do one of two things when away from home: You can sit around and be homesick, or you can make your own traditions.
I’m not the type to sit around.
Last year, my friend and I had a humble Thanksgiving, with a chicken, some mashed potatoes, and carrots. I’ve been in Korea for over a year now, and but my love for the holidays has stayed the same. So this year, I decided to step it up a notch.
My circle of friends is pretty evenly divided now between other foreigners and Koreans. It’s been really interesting, getting to learn about Korean culture through someone who knows it all. I decided to take the opportunity to do something really special for my Korean friends. We had a full Thanksgiving feast.
Turkeys don’t really exist in Korea. They have to be specially ordered, and it’s really expensive. Like, 88,000 won expensive. With shipping included, we’re looking at about $90. However, it was big enough that we cut it into two, and froze half for either a November Thanksgiving for my American friends, or Christmas. It was pre-cooked (ovens are a rare thing in Korea, most my cooking is done on a stovetop or in a slow cooker), stuffed and ready to go. Honestly, I debated for a while over ordering the turkey. A chicken would be cheaper, and easier… But I wanted to share REAL thanksgiving with my friends, the same way they’d shared the real Korea with me.
After everyone agreed to pitch in for the turkey, we decided to splurge. I also ate pasta for a week to balance out my food budget that month.
Cooking is one of my biggest passions. So while my friends kept messaging me through the morning, asking if I needed any help, I was quite happy to dance around the small kitchenette I had, making a full feast out of nothing, and having an amazing time. When my friends all arrived, that moment was worth all the extra money, and the hard work that morning. Yuseon and Hyojeong, two of my Korean friends, announced that they’d never had turkey before, and from they way they looked at the mashed potatoes, gravy and stuffing, it wasn’t the only new food they’d be trying. Thankfully, my cooking stood up to the ultimate test, and all four of my friends seemed to approve of the meal.
Once everyone was served, I sat back and simply watched for a moment. To my right, I had my two best foreign friends sitting with me. To my left were my two best Korean friends. We were sitting together, eating perhaps the most expensive bird in Korea, laughing at silly inside jokes and singing along with our favourite k-pop songs. I couldn’t remember a time I’d been more content.
“This year, I’m thankful for you guys,” I announced after explaining the tradition to my Korean friends. I didn’t care that it cost ninety dollars for the bird, it was worth it to be able to make memories like the ones I’d made that day. Thankfully, everyone else echoed in agreement. Another good thing to be thankful for.