Thanksgiving Treats

Thanksgiving is just not the same in Korea!  But that doesn't mean we are not thankful for the unique ways we seem to celebrate the American holiday in Seoul.  Finding a turkey (and having an oven sufficient in size for roasting it) is the big challenge, and it comes at a cost!  We're talking $70-80 for a small bird.  That's why in the past we have opted to go to Seoul Club and enjoy the Thanksgiving feast they prepare each year.   This year, we were invited to join with our "empty nesters" group for Thanksgiving dinner.  As it turned out, only three couples were able to participate:  the Lees, the Sonksens (Seoul Mission President), and ourselves.  So rather than try to prepare the feast ourselves, we went to a very authentic fancy farm to table Korean restaurant, as recommended by the Lees.  I enjoyed a tofu steak (quite tasty!) while Bob's choice was an abalone porridge.  The artistic dessert followed by sweet jujube tea (juice), was the perfect ending to our interesting Thanksgiving meal.

The following Saturday, Bob drove me down south to the antique markets in search of a piece of Asian furniture that we could purchase as a remembrance of our "home" in Korea.  We were almost ready to buy a dragon motif medicine cabinet, when we saw a beautiful antique (supposedly at least 150 years old) Chinese storage cabinet.  With the halt of large furniture exports from many Asian countries into Korea, we were told this was an antique of great value.  Whether that is true or not, we found the piece interesting with it's hidden compartments, solid handmade construction, and detailed Asian carvings.  It would also be compatible with the furniture we already own.  Success!  Our first winter snowstorm of the season whirled large snowflakes around us as we left the warehouse.  On our way home, we were surprised to find a "Dino Meat" restaurant like the one we used to visit in Geoge-do with Stephanie and Ben.  So we stopped here for all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ  - a delicious second Thanksgiving feast for Bob and I!

On the 30th, Bob and I went to a professional women's volleyball tournament in Seoul.  They compete at a new stadium not far from our home.  A former BYU player by the name of Alexa Gray (#18 below), has joined the Korean Team "Kixx" and Bob thought it would be fun to go see her play.  She is a member of our church branch in Seoul, and Michael knew her from a class he had with her at BYU.  It was fun to see all the hype that goes in to the match.  Unfortunately, the Kixx did not defeat their opponent that evening, but that did not dampen our spirits.

 Wouldn't you agree that we enjoyed some pretty unique Thanksgiving treats this year?!