I’ve had plenty of elaborate meal but none was more complicated to make than Thanksgiving Dinner 2006. You see, Chinese cuisine, especially Cantonese cuisine are not meant to be complicated. They are supposed to be simple. Cut, marinade, and stir-fry or whatever, that’s it. So making a traditional Thanksgiving Dinner, for me, is complicated.

We were living in a two-bedroom tiny apartment. All the appliance in the galley kitchen were out-dated and let’s mention the inconsistent spread of heat in the oven.

It was the first traditional Thanksgiving that I’m spending at home, and not at someone else’s home. Actually I was supposed to spend Thanksgiving at my step-aunt’s but my step-father had an argument with his entire family a few weeks ago and was giving them the silent treatment, oh well.

My step-father promised me he’ll make the best Thanksgiving meal and I will help. So in preparation of our Thanksgiving dinner, my step-father and I spent a majority of the week at the grocery store gathering supplies. On Thanksgiving Day, while my mother was working an overtime shift at the grocery store, we spent preparing the meal.

It took us a while just to prepare the stuffing and the turkey since my step-father didn’t like using the quick box mix. So we had to make the stuffing from scratch. He didn’t let me interfere, either. My job was to watch, prepare the equipment, wait for the water to boil, etc.

While the turkey was in the oven, we plopped ourselves on the sofa and watched the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade. At least I was trying to but my step-father constant getting up to check on the turkey eventually made me curious and I got up too.

By the time I sat down again, I’ve missed the entire parade. Oh well. We got back to the kitchen and began preparing the small things that came with a Thanksgiving Dinner. I can’t remember but it involved yams, mashed potatoes and gravy and cranberry sauce.

None of those took very long and we still had plenty of time until the turkey’s done. He opened the oven and pulled the pan out. He uncovered the foil and I could feel saliva dripping out of my mouth. It seriously looked delicious.

He took a ladle and began scooping turkey juices into a bowl. “What’s that for?” I remember asking.

“Broth for the gravy.”

When he got enough broth, he covered the turkey back up with a foil and slid it back into the oven. He poured the broth into the saucepan along with some other stuff, I think it was flour.

He stirred and stirred and I watched him but the gravy seemed strange and watery, unlike the kind I had at school. He grew frustrated and began dumping more and more flour. The liquid began to bubble.

“Is it supposed to be like this?” I asked.

“What do you think?” He snapped and opened the oven again to get more broth from the turkey. I retreated to the dining table and sat down. I don’t know how long later, he shouted. “Yes!”

I rushed into the kitchen. “Did you get it?” I looked into the pan and saw a brown gooey substance. It hardly resembled gravy. “Wait, that’s it?”

“What do you think? Give me a big bowl.” He poured the gravy into the bowl. “Voila.” He showed it to me. “Are you ready for Thanksgiving?” I nodded eagerly.

He took the turkey out of the oven and placed it on the dining table. It looked the same as we checked it an hour or so ago. I wondered if we’d overcooked it. He brought a huge knife and a large fork and began carving the turkey.

He placed a large slice of dark meat onto my plate. I took a bite, I don’t know how to describe but it was best turkey I’ve ever had.

Daily Prompt – Shaken and Stirred