Thai Thanksgiving

Moo Kata (jellyfish on top)

I went into this holiday season knowing it would be different than ones past. I have not been in heat less than 90 degrees, haven't eaten a potato in a month, and am surrounded by people who have never seen snow . Though I have been graced with several days off of teaching, they were not for the intention of spending the day with one's family and gorging ourselves with food (though it seems as though Thai people are constantly eating). I had even come to terms with knowing that I would probably spend Thanksgiving eating Pad Thai on the side of the street with a few of my local friends. It would be different, but I was okay with it--I'm in Thailand!

I was pleasantly surprised when a day before Thanksgiving one of my coworkers invited me, Matthias, and Alex out to a Thai style meal called Moo Kata. We informed him that we would be happy to go to dinner with him, and even happier to have a Thai feast on American Thanksgiving. Moo Kata refers to the pork that is grilled, though the restaurant we went to had a large variety of raw meats including shrimp, chicken, beef, and jellyfish. The restaurant was buffet-style, which is perfect for a Thanksgiving feast, and we sat around for 3 hours gorging ourselves with different cuts of meat with various spices and 2 large beers. I was adventurous enough to have jellyfish, which I actually really enjoyed--so much that I went back for seconds...and thirds.

intestines....ohhh yeaahhh

Though it was a bit of an unconventional Thanksgiving, it was certainly one of the more memorable ones. I was certainly happy that I not only had a delicious meal on Thanksgiving, but have made good enough friends in my short time here to have such a wonderful Thanksgiving day.
But Thanksgiving is never over in one day because there are over leftovers! And since I didn't have leftovers, my friends and I went out to a New Orleans themed restaurant in Bangkok that had a beautiful buffet spread of Western Thanksgiving dishes that I went a little overboard with....but it was so. good.
Though I love Thai food....I miss Western food. Especially the variety we are so used to. It's amazing how much variety that Americans are given with their food choices. I really miss cheese. And bread. And anything that isn't rice based. But I love mango...and green curry...and pad thai (haven't gotten sick of that one yet).

Bangkok has some GREAT Christmas decorations

Thanksgiving this year made me realize what I am really grateful for: good health, a wonderful and supportive family, and amazing friends--old and new--all around the world...oh, and the good fortune of not being in the classroom (or any of my students) when a painter fell through the roof and dropped into one of my classrooms. Which leads me to be thankful for such an amazing opportunity to be living in Thailand and knowing that every day will be another incredible adventure!