When my dad was teaching me how to use chopsticks he told me that kids in Asia might only use chopsticks and were really good at it even when they were just kids, like me!  I remember my child brain being very impressed.  I said, “Yeah, but it would be hard for them to learn to use a fork, just like it’s hard for me to use chopsticks!”  My dad was like “Um, no.  Anyone can use a fork.”  I think it was that moment that I started wondering how people in other countries talk about people in my country.  I think I pictured a Chinese kid having the same conversation with her dad… “In America, kids use forks!”, but now I realize that’s not something interesting for an Asian father to tell his kid.

As a grown-up, I appreciate and enjoy that I get to see my country from an outsider’s perspective and find those answers for my kid-self.  The attention given to American-specific holidays over here makes me happy… and it’s also entertaining because I get to criticize what “they” get “wrong”.

The new issue of Time Out Dubai actually mentions Thanksgiving on the cover!

Not bad, not bad… But I don’t think Americans use the word “sorted” that often- and not really in that way.  It’s funny to see my (yes, my) holiday be written about in an obvious English accent.  

Let’s take a look at the spread, shall we?

No wait.  Let’s stop first to look at this ad for an Indian supermarket chain and try to understand how the image is at all relevant to the business being advertised.

I like my grocery stores like I like my women: ethnic, elegant, and exclusive…?

?

Back to the Thanksgiving spread. 

Let’s take a closer look.

Hmmmm.  I’ll skip over the point about the US enforcing their holidays on the rest of the world, and go straight to complaining about the fact that they’ve said the tradition is “stuffing yourself with turkey on the last weekend of November”.

First of all, the tradition is to stuff yourself with turkey on the FINAL THURSDAY of November, and here’s why.

Most importantly, the tradition is not just about “stuffing yourself”, the tradition is about spending time with your loved ones and being thankful for all you are afforded in life.  Coulda mentioned that, TimeOut.  Also- pilgrims, gourds, Plymoth Rock, and tracing your hand to draw a turkey.

They’ve also included some Thanksgiving recipes!

Whoa, whoa, whoa… 370°C is almost 700°F!, and 180°C is over 350°F!, and if you cooked a turkey until it reached 350°F, I’m not sure it could even be considered a turkey anymore.  I’m sure they just printed the Fahrenheit temperatures and accidentally labeled them as Celsius, but still… 370°F is a pretttty hot oven to put a turkey in, a turkey that has reached 180°F is overcooked, and I’m not sure how you can get crispy skin in five minutes.  I guess it’s more of just a “for fun”, “hypothetical” cooking tutorial.  My opinion matters because I have a cooking blog.

Also, as an American I’ve never heard someone explain the actual outcome of cooking a turkey that isn’t fully defrosted.  Everything I’ve read in the US just says DO NOT ATTEMPT TO COOK A FROZEN BIRD.  I always think of the Mom from A Christmas Story: “You stay away from that turkey! It’s got an hour to cook…you’ll get worms!” 

“Pass the couscous, honey.”  Nope.

This last part, they got perfectly right close enough.

Happy Thanksgiving, one and all!