THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, November 24, 1994 TAG: 9411220189
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: E18 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY XIAOHONG ZHANG SWAIN, CORRESPONDENT
LENGTH: Medium: 82 lines
The huge, golden-brown turkey sat invitingly on a large silver tray. Its fragrant aroma, mixed with those of butter, stuffing, sweet potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, quickly spread all over the dining room.
As I was waiting to be seated with an American family at my first American Thanksgiving dinner eight years ago, I couldn't help imagining how good the foreign-looking bird would taste. My mouth began watering.
I had never eaten turkey before. In China, where I spent my first 24 years, people don't eat turkey at all. Our staple meat is pork, with occasional feasts of chicken, beef and fish. The only time that I came close to a turkey was standing in front of a wired cage and curiously staring at a tall, odd-looking creature at the Beijing Zoo.
The very size of the Thanksgiving fare surprised me. I was fascinated by the giant drumsticks. No wonder Americans came up with the good idea of having a turkey to entertain the whole family on holidays. The bird not only had a stately look for the occasion, it surely would provide everyone ample food.
Why didn't turkey ever become popular in China? I guess we just didn't have many of them there. When the Pilgrims arrived in America in 1620, the fabulous birds were readily available to serve the starving newcomers.
With an eager appetite, I dived into the Thanksgiving feast. I took a first bite off a piece of turkey breast.
Wait a minute, I told myself, this thing is not as juicy as it appears. The meat was actually dry, tough and tasteless.
Was something wrong with my mouth? I couldn't believe what I was experiencing. I tried a few more bites. I tasted some of the dark meat, too. It wasn't any better.
I moved on to explore other dishes. The tart cranberry sauce didn't really go well with turkey. The green beans were overly cooked and way too salty. The sweet potatoes and the pumpkin pie were too sugary for my Chinese teeth.
Of course, I didn't make a fuss to my enthusiastic host family. I finished what was on my plate. I gave my smiles and compliments. The food wasn't as important to me as the warmth and company of my American friends.
I was a lonesome dove, floating away from my home in Beijing and searching for knowledge at an American university in West Virginia. It was nice to experience a family atmosphere again.
To be fair, I did love the stuffing. It tasted similar to stir-fried steamed breads, a popular Chinese dish.
In later years, I was invited to quite a number of other turkey dinners at American homes and churches. I still couldn't handle the blandness of a baked whole turkey. The only thing I really looked forward to at those parties was, yes, the stuffing.
As I developed a sweet tooth from consuming more American sweet snacks for lunch at school, I learned to appreciate pumpkin pie.
My attitude toward turkey took a drastic change when I met the American who was to become my husband. A health-conscious person, David loves lean meats such as chicken breast, turkey breast and fish. When we were dating, I began to pick up the habit of exercising regularly and eating healthy. As a result, I gradually learned to enjoy turkey sandwiches. The cold turkey cuts sold at grocery stores are tender and moist. Layered with slices of wheat bread, vegetables and spicy mustard, the meat tastes even better to me.
When David and I got married, I gave up pork as one of the main ingredients in my stir fry. Instead, I cooked a lot of chicken breast and fish. One time, I decided to stir fry turkey breast. And, boy, was it a success. It was so tender and flavorful that David thought it was his favorite - stir-fried chicken.
Today, if someone asks me how I like turkey, I give the bird a thumbs up. I keep thinking that when my parents come to visit me from China, I will make sure that they taste my turkey dishes.
This Thanksgiving Day, David and I are hosting our first home turkey dinner to entertain some friends. I have come to like that light taste and chewy texture of a traditionally baked turkey. We also will set out the traditional companion dishes: stuffing, sweet potatoes, pumpkin pie and cranberry jelly. Instead of boiling green beans with bacon, however, I will stir fry them.
I have even come up with a couple of Chinese-style turkey dishes readers might like to try.
Happy Thanksgiving! MEMO: [For a copy of the recipes, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB