Thanksgiving 2021

Spent a quiet Thanksgiving at home with the man and the dog. I volunteered to prep dinner, and made it an Asian affair. NO TURKEY PLEASE. We're not fond of turkey regardless of how it's done. Maybe a turducken done Asian-style with glutinous rice would be nice, but still. Only Choya loves her raw turkey breast and in the form of dehydrated crunchy treats (which are as good as food). 

I mark Thanksgiving, not as an adopted tradition as an adult, but as something the family has celebrated since my childhood, and I decided to keep it till now. Sure, it's not a 'full' family affair nowadays, but to some of us, we still keep the tradition alive because it means something to this uhhh faction. We've redefined it anyway, since the Falling Out and Moving Away (not just me ahh... it's a whole bunch of us. LOL). But I'm not as exuberant as they are when it comes to food and guests — they like them plentiful, I like them in moderation. The family always had turkey, as the default traditional meat, alongside two types of laksa, tok panjang dishes, and whatever sort of nasi that the grandmothers suddenly fancy. Now that the grandmothers have passed on, the aunts put whatever they wish on their table. As I do.

As I grow older, I begin to ignore the religious significance of it, especially when it involves a bloody narrative of Plymouth Pilgrims (colonists) usurping indigenous land rights. It's part of history, but I can choose not to observe Thanksgiving in that spirit. With that, I ditch turkey too, especially if I don't spend Thanksgiving in the US. I don't have a say if I'm invited out to someone else's festive table, If it's at our table, I always choose to purchase other ingredients to put together the Thanksgiving meal. I prefer to think of it as an autumn harvest festival similar to the Sukkot, and give thanks to all that we've been blessed with. 

It's pumpkin season after all. In-season pumpkin is extra sweet. That would totally be on the dinner menu. Not as a dessert, but as a savory main. (No pie for dessert. We had dark chocolate financiers and mikan for the man.) Since it's Asian and I'm not that creative, dinner would be simple. Nope, not pumpkin curry. Heh. 

Made a one-pot takikomi gohan (炊き込みご飯) of chicken and pumpkin. Marinated the bone-in chicken thighs in soy sauce and seared them quickly before placing them in the rice cooker. Skipped both the dried and fresh shiitake. The rehydrated (dried) scallops and mussels went in too, for umami. These are soaked in water, and that liquid goes into the stock for the rice too. When I'm unable to use the donabe on an induction stove, the rice cooker is indeed my best friend. 

Decided to put in a bit of effort to marinate pork bulgogi. The supermarket usually offers ready-made bulgogi, but it leans sweet the way bulgogi tends to be. I prefer it more savory and spicer, so I made my own. I could also choose a leaner cut than what the supermarket offers. Seared the pieces of pork first and set it aside. Then I fried up cabbage and yellow onions. Kept them slightly crunchy. Then I put in the pork bulgogi for a final toss with the cabbage and onions. Mmmmmmm. #ImpieCooks2021 

Even Choya got steamed pumpkin for her dinner this week. She doesn't have pumpkin in her meals all the time. She loves pumpkin, and it's good for her. She has it on rotation in her meals. For her Thanksgiving dinner tonight, I steamed some cubes of pumpkin to add to her meal, and for the next three days.

The man's family doesn't mark Thanksgiving, so this date doesn't feature in his calendar, and it bears no significance to him. But because it features in mine, he isn't going to reject food if I'm cooking it. Heh. It was another long day at work for the man, so he was super happy to sit down to a homecooked meal. 

For the abundance of food on this table, for the ones who have fed us, for the roof over our heads, for our health, and our wealth of blessings, for the freedom to pray these words without fear, in any language, in any faith. May these blessings stir us to continued service, and these gifts to us may be consciously used for others. Amen.