Gobble Gobble!

From Collages

Turkey day was an unbelievable success. I feel pretty guilty about how little work I did on the actual day. But, all the ladies kept on getting kicked out of the kitchen - so couch potatoe winos it was.

Michael, Jesse, and Jake headed over to our boss Kris' house around 10:30 a.m. Jake had the 16 pound turkey strapped in his backpack and tons of other dishes in a large red tote. It was quite the ordeal. They really worked magic in the kitchen and deserve tons of credit along with Kris and her husband Sang Hun who would not even let us touch a dish.

Kim and I arrived around 12:30 with the other Korean teachers. Carrie, Claire, Elin and her husband all joined us for fun. I made a tasty cheese platter with fruits and the Korean's brought loads of appetizers as well. We enjoyed crab crepes, tuna rolls, tofu balls, and squid pajeon with plenty of wine naturally. The fusion and sharing added to the enjoyment.

We kept things nontraditional by playing a seasoon of Friends on the bigscreen tv instead of the usual football. But, the laughs were nonstop as always. Elin brought some homemade bokbunja, raspberry wine, that she declared improved men's stamina and brought many babies to her husband's family. This was followed by Jake spitting his out and Elin coaxing her husband by shouting in a high pitch, "Drink more honey!"

Next, we semi-watched the Juno movie which shocked the Koreans in many ways. To be an unmarried pregnant mother is very shameful and not widely accepted here. Abortions are secretive or women often go into hiding. My friend told me that adoption is also extremely hush-hush and a couple will actually move for a year or two so that they can say they had the baby without faking a pregnancy. Yup, things are different. It led to some interesting discussions nevertheless. Although, my favorite was when Juno was dancing with the husband who was soon to adopt her baby. Carrie nonchalantly replies, "Oh, inappropriate relationship. They should get an apartment." Really? Would that 16 year old to 40 year old creepster relationship actually be appropriate in an apartment? Pretty sure she was joking, but it was incredulous stuff.

Next, we feasted on a very successful potluck of foods. Everyone made something from their families Thanksgiving. Jesse made mounds of mashed potatoes and the yams. The yams were especially exciting because he mistakenly bought the bright purple sweet potatoes. Now, that adds color to the plate. Michael made his mom's signature broccoli salad along with a lavish mac and cheese. Jake worked hard at homemade chesnut, apple stuffing and I opened cans for green bean casserole. Sorry mom, but I really like it. Kris made some chinese cabbage salad and other sides that added to the delight.

After dining on the floor Korean style, we decided to play an awesome 2 hour card game called head to toe. It is way to complex to explain, but it involved lots of teams, bickering, and table talk - priceless.

We stayed until after 10 p.m. without even realizing where the day went. It was a blast and we were grateful to share the goodtimes. Jake kept saying, "he was sooooo happy." And that made me even more happy ; )