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Turkey Day 🥧 

Nov 26, 2020

Happy Turkey Day y’all! I wanted to say what I’m thankful for, recap how I celebrated for the past few years (and what I’m doing today), and share some Thanksgiving recipes from my favorite food bloggers.

So what does Thanksgiving mean to me?

I want to preface this by saying this post is about what I’m grateful for, and what I’ve done on Thanksgiving Day for the past few years. You can practice gratitude, while still acknowledging Thanksgiving’s problematic history – in what the day represents to Indigenous people – and there are so many resources out there to educate yourself and stop perpetuating the myths we grew up learning.

In elementary and part of middle school, the Chinese community in my town would frequently have get-togethers (we used to hang out a lot!), and I would always look forward to the main event of the year: Thanksgiving dinner. Most, if not all of us (my town’s Chinese community), don’t have any extended family in the states, so our communal heritage brought us even closer as friends. As the years passed, though, we’ve lowered it on our priorities list. Quarantine makes me feel even more nostalgic about those times, but I remain hopeful about seeing them in the future.

But anyway…in the past few years, I’ve felt the magic of this four-day weekend fizzle out, but I still feel an immense appreciation for this quick getaway from the hecticness of school. I also spend this time to share my gratitude for people who’ve made a remarkable impact in my life in the past 11 months.

For 2020, I have a lot to be grateful for. Yes, it’s been a rough year; I’ve had to be on lockdown completely for the past eight months and be almost excessively cautious, because I live with my grandma. It has definitely taken a toll on me, but I’ve had time to reflect on myself about many aspects of my life. This isn’t my journal, so I don’t want to delve in too deep, but I still want to share a a short list of the many things I’ve been especially thankful for this year…here it is:

1. I’ve gotten to cultivate a relationship with my dad that wouldn’t have had the time to be nurtured in other circumstances (and that is not to take away from how this pandemic has impacted millions; COVID-19 to have never happened would be ideal). Have we had our very fair share of quarrels and times we’ve needed to spend apart? Absolutely. But I learned to empathize with him like I had never before, and that’s just one thing to be thankful for.
2. Simply having the privilege to stay at home. My dad’s been working from home for at least 15 years now, so our family situation was minimally affected. Please wear a mask if you choose to see anyone outside the people you live with – do it for the people who do not have the privilege to stay at home (essential and frontline workers).
3. This. blog. I have no idea what 2020 would be without this. Even if no one is reading this, I am incredibly lucky to use this platform as a way to share my stories behind food and the businesses I want to share. I’m not too caught up with the size of my audience, because I do this for myself and my passion for culinary adventures. Building this blog from scratch is my ultimate passion project: there’s always something to be done, whether it’s the inner framework, the CSS design, the stories. And I cherish every moment with it.

In 2016, my dad, Antonia, and I took our first trip in quite some time after we had a big event in our life happen earlier in the year. On Thanksgiving Day 2016, we headed to Shack-Fuyu: The Japanese Restaurant by Bone Daddies. I kid you not, returning to this place is on my bucket list. Shack-Fuyu is the type of sit-down restaurant I’m most into - a spin on East Asian food with signature dishes and desserts. This spin doesn’t need to be a “modern” take, but needs to have a connection to the chef, in whichever way that may be. This dish is the Iberico Pork Pluma with Spring Onion and Black Pepper Miso. Get the Kinako French Toast with Matcha Soft Serve too. Absolute chef’s kiss…okay, back to the Thanksgiving stuff. I went off on a tangent.

In 2017, I remember it being a Chinese get together. It’s only a vague memory, but my dad made a point about this gathering being one of my sister’s last before heading off to college. In 2018, my dad and I were on a flight to visit Antonia! We flew from the Philly airport (far cheaper than from JFK), so that day was just getting to the airport, waiting (we ate crab fries 😋), flying, and eating at pretty much the only restaurant still open on Thanksgiving day (a Hong Kong café, IIRC). That weekend remains one of the favorite times in my life thus far. I was “homesick” for my sister, and it couldn’t have been a better getaway. Last year, I spent it by eating a BEC from Celebrity Bagels and just watching Netflix. This year will probably be similar: I’ll be eating some good food, taking a break, and hanging with Antonia. And I cannot wait.

To finish off, I want to share some Thanksgiving recipes from my favorite food bloggers. Some are more traditional, but some may be unexpected combinations or fusion flavors. Enjoy (even if it may be too late to try these out for this year)!

1. Fried Rice Stuffing
   • I’ve been a Seonkyoung Longest fan since the beginning! Her backstory is not without its challenges, but is inspiring when you see where she is today. She creates Korean, Chinese, and Japanese favorites, but also makes more experimental recipes like this one. She has a Korean-glazed and lemongrass turkey and ~spicy~ cranberry sauce recipe to check out as well. Fried rice stuffing blends two of my identities together (I am Chinese-American after all!), so I’m definitely optimistic about the results!
2. Green Bean Casserole
   • The classic green bean casserole! I loveeeee the French-fried onions on the top of these. i am a food blog makes a ton of Asian/Asian-inspired recipes, along with a variety of other cuisines. This husband-wife duo has a stunning blog that I’ve followed for years, and you’ll be endlessly scrolling through their recipe index (not complaining though). They also have a guide to downsize your Thanksgiving!
3. Extra Sticky Maple Pecan Sticky Buns
   • Like cinnamon rolls, but without the cream cheese frosting. It’s perfect for those with a lot of baking ingredients (flour, eggs, yeast, sugar, cinnamon, etc.), but don’t have cream cheese. I am those.
   • Half Baked Harvest feels exactly the way it should sound. It’s warm, comforting, and feels like home.
4. Sweet Potato Pie Dutch Baby
   • Another Half Baked Harvest one. A homey pie favorite turned into a pancake - can’t get better than that.
5. Cinnamon Rolls with Tahini Cream Frosting and Pistachio Rose Dukkah
   • These rolls do have cream cheese frosting, but heck, this was too cool of a recipe not to share! Molly Yeh is a Jewish-Chinese musician turned cookbook author and farm girl. I’m sure she’s still a musician at her core, but I admire her most as an awesome food blogger with tons of narratives to share! She certainly draws inspiration from her experiences in all different walks of life, whether it be the city AND farm girl in her or her multiracial background.

I’m also enjoying this Cranberry and Goat Cheese Cheesecake from Black Magic Bakehouse. I may do a future post for it!

ENJOY YOUR TURKEY DAY Y’ALL! 🦃 (turkey isn’t on everyone’s table, but the point isn’t any different 🥔) Stay safe, and I’m sending all my positivity your way!!!

See you soon,

Carissa 😊

If you have any questions, comments, or recommendations, please message @CarissaEats on Instagram or email carissaeats@yahoo.com!