A Thanksgiving ..... chicken?

Although I hadn't had any intention of doing a Thanksgiving feast this year due to our unusual living/working arrangment, for some reason last week it just popped into my mind that I should do it ... and off we went, hunting down needed items from the various foreign markets in Shanghai.

Turkeys are imported here and are incredibly expensive ($60 for a small one), so we decided on the cheaper chicken for $7.  That's when I realized, chickens come WHOLE here -- meaning the head is still attached!!  At first, it grossed me out, but then I got on board remembering this is where we live, why not?

Ironically, the best looking chicken we found was at a market that sold them headless ... that's when I remembered that I'd never cooked a whole chicken before ... after searching a bit, I found this recipe that I mostly followed and it turned out really, really delicious!

A pre- and post- picture ... (looking really glamorous, ha ha)

One thing that made our day extra special was that my friend Natalie and her son George were able to join us.  George is a China-born, British boy who celebrated his first American Thanksgiving before turning one! 

PS -- we are so thankful for the many, many blessings that God has bestowed on us, adding them all up, it overwhelms me that we have been given SO much!

Kids & Couches

I realize I've been a bit absent from the blog lately ... Jason started coaching the varsity boys basketball team at the same time that I started my Chinese lessons and between the two, we've had very little time for exploring or doing much lately.  In the meantime though, I've been trying to really see the things around me and if possible, capture them with my camera.

There is an "old" section of town just a few blocks from where we live and it always astounds us how we can be on a modern, busy street one moment and the next moment be somewhere that seems almost lost to time.  As we journeyed through this alley yesterday I saw these kids gleefully enjoying these worn out couch/chairs and I couldn't help by share.

I love so many things about this picture ... the kids and how happy they seem to be playing on the dirty street, the fact that the clothes line is barbed wire, the trash cart and random boots scattered everywhere. 

Fall Street Treats

Although we do not get too many beautiful Fall colors here or even a really noticeable period of warm days and crisp evenings, I know that the season has indeed changed by the snacks available throughout the city.  On our way to church yesterday, we encountered this cart of tasty looking items (which I am now wishing I'd bought a few of).  One of the things I love about Shanghai is the fact that there are so many fun and interesting kinds of food available everywhere.