Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving at the Paul house was a bust if you ask Henry. Because I thought that if I put a frozen 10 pound turkey in the refrigerator on Monday it would unthaw by Thursday and was wrong, we didn't really have Thanksgiving. This is what Henry told my mom and dad on Thanksgiving Day. With a really sad, disappointed voice that can only come from a very dramatic 7 year old, I heard Henry say, 'Well, we didn't really have a Thanksgiving.' I could just hear my parents chuckling on the other end. We celebrated Thanksgiving after a fashion that is becoming more and more our style...nontraditional.

This is Min eating the turkey drumstick on Sunday (after Thanksgiving) when we actually had our turkey because it finally thawed out then. And, after Henry had so sadly told his Sunday School teacher how we hadn't really had a Thanksgiving.
Our nontraditional Thanksgiving was spent at Kingdom Buffet where they not only have a very cool pond and waterfall..a favorite of the boys who could hardly eat because they wanted to play in it so badly...but also really great food and a decent selection of sushi.

Here is Charles eating sushi...or kimbab as it is called at our house because that is what it is in Korea.

We've decided that it is pointless to really cook a big dinner at our house anyway. This is what happened on Sunday, when we actually had Thanksgiving dinner. It took about 2 hours to prepared the meal. This didn't include the actual cooking time of the turkey. But, it did include rinsing out a raw turkey and removing the pieces they shove inside. Peeling and boiling the potatoes (this includes cleaning the stovetop after they boil over) and mashing them. Making gravy that is never quite right and veggies. Set the table, cut the turkey, and set up everyones plates including cutting the meat and pouring milk. Sit down at the table to eat. 10 minutes later the majority of the family (3 boys) are done eating and ready to leave the table. Then, it takes at least 30 minutes to clean up, put away the leftovers. I made a pumpkin pie which none of the boys liked...even with cool whip. Next year....we're going out for Thanksgiving dinner..preferably to Kingdom Buffet for kimbab and shrimp.