Thanksgiving in Xinjiang: Round 4

Thanksgiving in Xinjiang has always been an adventurous occasion for my wife and me. One year was sadly spent at Pizza Hut in Urumqi after searching unsuccessfully for a traditional Thanksgiving meal; last year I actually walked around the city with a live turkey under my arm – a gift from one of my adult students who told me it was the only one within a 100km radius of the city.

I got an email today informing me that these experiences have now been immortalized in the form of a comic by MandMx. Besides the pleasure that comes from any site linking to FarWestChina - much less using it as an inspiration for a comic – I think anybody who has lived in China during a major holiday can relate in some way to this cartoon. Tomorrow I’m actually going to be pulling out an old Patriots-New England game my father-in-law recorded on DVD for me three years ago. It’s the same one I watched last year, but it just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without it.

And in case you’re curious, we did get a little turkey for this year’s Thanksgiving. A few government friends took us out to dinner last night and surprised us by having a turkey specially trucked in from Urumqi. I guess it’s one of the perks being the only two westerners in our district. They apologized because they cooked it the only way they knew how – like roast duck – but it was a wonderful treat anyway.

So wherever you’re at, even if you’re not American, I wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. Thank you for taking time out of your day to keep up with what’s going on out here in the crazy province of Xinjiang.