You do the math: Thanksgiving + ridiculously early “dinner” + big-ass turkey + too many desserts + amazing people + big container of leftovers for midnight “snack” = ??
A freaking enjoyable night, but the worst food coma the next day after. I was groggy all day today, and only climbed out of bed when it was 1 pm. Oh well. It was all worth it…t’was the best Thanksgiving dinner I’ve ever had!
Actually, that was my first Thanksgiving, and I’m now a bit miffed that I had been denied a true Thanksgiving dinner for 21 years of my life. You see, I’m Asian (sorry to bring in the race card), and we just don’t celebrate Thanksgiving the way Americans do. For the past Thanksgivings in my life, I’ve been forced to choke down fried rice and chow mein and sweet-and-sour pork. Oh boy.
However, even with the horrible Thanksgiving food, one thing I’ve never ever been denied was wonderful, beautiful company. I’m so blessed…wherever I go, I seem to be constantly surrounded by people whom I really love, people who care about me, and people who I know for certain that God placed in my life. Oh, praise the Lord!
So. This post is dedicated to all the great people who stuck by me throughout all these years, and especially to all the new friends I’ve made in the past 11 months.
To my family: Thank you…for always loving me, no matter how flawed and terrible I’ve been. I would not be who I am without you.
To my church brothers and sisters in Virginia: Thank you…for always praying for me, always having faith in me, and rejoicing with me in my triumphs and joys.
To my church brothers and sisters in Singapore: Thank you…for helping me find laughter again, for encouraging me to challenge myself and eventually watching my daily progress in recovery. The 5 months I’ve spent with you was a turning point in my life.
To my best friends: Thank you…for not forgetting about me, even though I’ve tried to push you away. Thank you for treating me like a normal person, for viewing me and reminding me of who I am, without the ED stigma. Thank you for not forsaking me.
To my new friends in USC: Thank you…for breathing life into me again as I live a new, restored life as a normal college student. Thank you for all the joys, laughter, and delight you’ve brought to me. I look forward to many more stories we’ll share together.
To my blog friends: Thank you…for reading, even though at times I’ve been grumpy and bitchy. Thank you for being there for me, always ready with warm words of comfort, advice, and support. Thank you for keeping me on track, for touching me with the wonder that it is possible to form such beautiful relationships even through the faceless communication of the Internet. You guys have restored my faith in humanity…that people really are beautiful.
To God: Dear Lord…You already know deep into the depths of my heart. Tears and words cannot express how much I love and thank you. You are the reason that I live, and I cannot repay you for all the grace you’ve bestowed upon me…except to give my all to you. Dear God, please accept my very being, and shape it into yours.
And lastly: Thanks to Elda, David, Renee, Ben, and Jane for cooking my first Thanksgiving dinner ever (though they are included in the “new friends in USC” category)!!!
In lieu of the special occasion, I donned my favorite socks: 
And boy, oh boy…there was so. much. freaking. food. My head was swimming and I didn’t know which one to dig into first! But first, let me share the decorations they did for the dining room: 
Very, very cool. Simple, yet classy and elegant. 
I especially loved how they had little name cards. Makes me feel special to see mine: 
Woo-hoo! Sophia!! What a beautiful name! 
And now on to food. A pretty table ain’t nothing without good food! Everyone zoomed in… 
With their cameras?!! Um, I swear, they are not food bloggers…But what’s great about these people is that they’re total foodies like me! 
Anyway, here’s the arrogant dish that thinks it’s centerpiece when it’s actually only good for leftovers: 
The 17-lb turkey, plucked, roasted, and exposed for our gastronomical pleasure.
Then ham: 
Home-roasted. Sweet, yet intensely meaty.
Stuffing: 
Apples, French bread, walnuts, cranberries. It was freaking amazing. I went back for seconds and thirds. Hands down, my favorite dish of the night! 
4-Cheese Mac & Cheese: 
With Parmesan cheese, white cheddar, gorgonzola, and goat cheese. Say what? All my favorite cheeses in one dish? 
I went for seconds and thirds again. Definitely a close favorite! 
Candied yams: 
Honestly, I did not think I would like this at all because it would be too sweet for me, so I only took a tiny bit. But it turned out pretty good. Good enough for seconds! 
Mashed potatoes: 
Damn it, my mashed potatoes never turned out this good! 
The most freaking amazing cranberry sauce: 
Homemade, with fresh cranberries, orange rind, apple cider, liquer, and…Whatever. I can’t remember, but it sure saved the boring turkey!
Also, fresh-baked cheese and herb biscuits: 
Light, buttery, flaky, cheesy. What’s not to love? 
After that superfluous dinner, everyone wobbled to the living room to sing some praise songs together, because who best to thank on Thanksgiving than God, right? 
La la la la~ 
Tra la la la~ 
These guys are wondering, “When the heck is dessert time?” I can just read it in their heads! 
I know I was!
And then it was dessert time!
Somehow, an Asian dish slipped into the mix: 
Korean rice cakes. But that’s okay, at least it wasn’t fortune cookies.
The quintessential pumpkin pie: 
Pumpkin bread!! 
And banana pudding: 
Embarrassed to say, but I was most enamored by the banana pudding, which turned out to be the least homemade dessert (pudding mix and Cool Whip). A true Gourmand I am not!
For this pecan pie, we stuck a candle into it: 
And we sang another song, this time a birthday song, because it was this little fella’s first birthday:
How cool is it that his birthday is on Thanksgiving? The look on his face seems to indicate that he doesn’t know what the hell is going on though. Tee hee!
Eggnog was passed around… 
…and we were divided into “Love-it” and “Hate-it” camps. I’m in the “hate-it” camp. Yeck. Too sickening rich…it’s like drinking custard that someone puked out.
It’s amazing how much you can stuff into your stomach if you put your heart into it. Here’s Renee, not afraid to chow down some more:
She is so pretty. And huggable. I love her!
After dessert we settled down, nursing our food babies… 
And real babies… 
And we talked some more. I loved this group of people. I didn’t know half the people here, but we were an interesting, ecelectic mix from all over the world: Nepal, Kazakhstan, India, Singapore (me), Taiwan, Korea, Romania… 
Can you tell who is from where? No matter…we are all beautiful!
The baby started sleeping… 
…and thus it was time to leave.
I had the most wonderful, heart-warming night. Thanksgiving rocks. It’s now officially my favorite holiday ever. Hopefully my next Thanksgiving will be “kung-pao chicken”-less as well!
Question of the day: What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish? Do you have a non-traditional Thanksgiving tradition?
Oh, and Egg-nog: Love it or hate it?
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om gwhat a thanksgiving FEAST!
hahha.
my fav thanksgiving dish is the turkey breast. carnivore i is. and the green beans.
non traditional thanksgiving tradition…uhhh we get a pumpkin pie but mom, sis, and elder sis just eat the filling?
Glad you had such a great Thanksgiving! I’m not a big fan of Thanksgiving food (I know, what a scrooge, right?), but I do love my dad’s homemade mashed potatoes. Everything else — stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy — looks too much like baby food to me. I guess it’s the pureed quality. I always love pie though
Anyway… as for egg nog, it totally depends on the occasion and when you ask me 
Right now, it sounds pretty good, but ask me another time, and it won’t sound appealing at all.
I have never had egg nog …
I also have never had candied yams, but I want to!!!
That mac and cheese looks absolutely amazing! And the ham too! And the turkey! My mouth is watering from all those pics of amazing looking dishes. Sounds like a feast for royalty!
what a wonderful thanksgiving, just as it should be, wonderful people coming together to celebrate
never tried egg nog, it has never really made sense to me…
Oh Sophia I’m so glad you had a wonderful Thanksgiving night! The table setting looks beautiful and I couldn’t agree more about the turkey!
I think all the vegetables are my favorite dishes of Thanksgiving. A tradition we have, that I never realized was a tradition until going without (and REALLY missing it!!!!), is all cooking together and spending the day in the kitchen laughing, stirring, and fighting over stove and oven space. Thanksgiving doesn’t seem like Thanksgiving without it anymore.
And I like egg nog, but it really depends on the brand. Some are more like whole milk, but others are so thick you can barely drink them! You’ve gotta shop around, but I usually opt for the runnier ones that are more milky. You could mix some of the thick stuff w/ normal milk and make it thinner if you at least like the taste. Also, Starbucks has a seasonal egg nog latte this time of year that I really like.
Thanksgiving puts EVERYONE into a food coma. It’s insane. xD
Are you in any of the pics above? I just realized I have no freakin’ clue what you look like.
Oh my goodness!!! This is the best Thanksgiving dinner spread everrrrr!! Wow. Everything looks amazing–I wish I could have been there with you
Oh gosh. What a fantastic meal! Glad you had a great thanksgiving, Sophia:)
oh my gosh that baby IS SO ADORABLE!!
everything looks so great
ESPECIALLY the 4 cheese macaroni!! danggggggggg
i do NOT like egg nog, too thick for me!
there is ALWAYS a next time. it’ll be dumplings for SURE. can’t wait.
thanksgiving was great. =D looks like yours was too. wait till you see my humongo post that goes up either sunday/monday night. hilarious.
First of all… those are some damn hot socks.
Second, I don’t think I’ve ever been to such a Thanksgiving dinner, either, with the placemats and cards and such. You’re a lucky girl!
Roasted ham?! Major drool. Oh, and stuffing just makes me going into “I’m-going-to-stuff-myself-today” mode… soft bread with lots of goodies is just so yummy. Mac & cheese! Biscuits! O_O
Cool whip is so bad. But so good. lol. You look adorable
My favorite Thanksgiving dish… honestly, I don’t really know. I’ve never eaten an amazing spread of food (like this), so I’d have to say anything sweet potato? Hmmm. Oh, and I can’t stand eggnog either. Too cloying, bleh.
I’m glad your Thanksgiving was so awesome! The little baby was so cute ^_^
My favorites for Thanksgiving are always stuffing and candied yams. I can either take or leave eggnog. I’d rather leave it though. Sometimes I’ll drink it, but only if it’s mixed with rum.
A good way to celebrate Thanksgiving. Temptingly fantastic spread. For me, each years is a bit different, but I try to keep some tradition and non traditional items on the table. It’s a mix and match type of meal.
My fav is the pecan pie. Hands down. As for eggnog, not really much of a fan of it.
thank you sophia for being in this blogging world!
i hope you had a wonderful first time american thanksgiving festival
and YES sophia is a beautiful name
xoxo
I am so glad that you enjoyed your Thanksgiving. I am in a food coma from just looking at that pictures
it all looks so delicious and…even more important: like such a great and special time together!
Thank YOU for your wonderful posts, I feel so blessed to ‘know’ you. I know we’ll meet in person someday!:)
xxx Julia (Taste of Living)
so freaking good thanksgiving dinner ,with sooooooo many food and friends!!! and that korean sweet rice cake? how that joined to the party? oh well…. if I was there, that would be my favorite dessert!!!
glad you had such a lovely, delicious, thanksgiving!! my fav tday dish: stuffing. eggnog: love it!
“You see, I’m Asian (sorry to bring in the race card)”
Bahahaha, you are hilarious Sophia. Seriously, you always make me laugh
Okay, so here’s the deal. Normally, I like to choose one or two dishes in posts to mention as my favourite, or ones that catch my eye. But every single dish at the meal looks fantastic!!! I don’t think I can choose. I am so jealous of your tummy right now.
I really like eggnog warm, or steamed into a latte. Cold it’s kinda icky (unless there’s rum involved
)
Mt sister’s birthday often falls on Canadian Thanksgiving! She demands two celebrations though
Ah! You had such a lovely time! I’m so happy for you.
I didn’t celebrate Thanksgiving at all – I was traveling by myself in Ireland. So. Oh well!
My favorite dish: yams! I like them mashed with a little orange juice and tons of spice. And roasted veggies! Love them!
Egg nog: I’m a huge fan of soy egg nog. I did like it when I was little, but now the whole lactose intolerant thing gets in the way.
I am so happy for you that you had this experience. It looked awesome and I am glad you have so many people who care about you.
Congraulations on having a proper thanksgiving! If I didn’t know better I would say you had been doing it for years; I think you pretty much got the whole ‘giving thanks’ idea down to a fine art.
My thanksgiving was ages ago, but I’m definately a sucker for stuffing! As for the eggnog… homemade can be amazing but anything store bought is way too sweet
This post was truly inspirational, and reminds me of how much I have to look forward to in life. So thank you my beautiful lady
xo
Tat
Happy Thanksgiving, Sophia! Glad you got to enjoy a tasty and traditional Thanksgiving dinner. The mac & cheese and biscuits look out of this world! I’m especially liking those biscuits.
I actually don’t like turkey much, so I don’t usually do a traditional Thanksgiving meal. I’d prefer to have something like peking duck. Oh, hate eggnog. Blech!
My favorite thing is stuffing, which we did NOT have this year. I really missed it! I least I can drool over yours though!
Oh, and I hate real eggnog, but kind of like the flavor when it’s mellowed out in things like eggnog flavored yogurt or ice cream. much less yucky sweet.
xoxo
Wow! What a great Thanksgiving! I LOVE your socks! Super cute!
Banana Pudding has got to be my favorite! It’s so easy to make too!
Gimme that mac and cheese!
Amazing feast!!! I am so glad you had the experience of this truly wonderful holiday with the love of your friends. Everything looks incredible. Seriously, everything!!!
And you know what, my favorite dessert this year was the pumpkin pudding pie whcih was just cool whip and pudding. Yum! Sometimes, the fake sugar is just the best, hands down!
Sounds like a lovely Thanksgiving feast!!
Egg nog = hate it. Also hate the word “nog.” I mean, what is that, anyway??
Ok, I wouldn’t like to have my b-day on Thanksgiving!! Would you?? I mean, it’s not all about you, it’s something that everyone celebrates, for other reasons, I need ALL The attention, haha! Either way, that baby blowing out the candles is SO ADORABLE, I want to squeeze his cheeks and play with him all day (in a good, friendly way…)
Your family is huge and all the food looks amazing! The banana pudding looks like something I would have gobbled up, but my FAVORITE Thanksgiving dish is the turkey and cranberry sauce, and pecan pie haha
And I LOVE Egg nog, yes! And not alcohol-free, I want the good stuff please.
So glad you enjoyed Thanksgiving, but I can imagine how it was a bit much. I like a sip of egg nog, and then I’m done!
You are so BLESSED to have had such an awesome Thanksgiving! Sounds amazzzzing
I lovee the pie that my Dad used to make….cranberry walnut pie! Mmmm…
And my family used to always eat oysters at Thanksgiving, not sure if thats considered non-traditional.
Ha, I would LOVE to try some of that asian food though, it looks good!
Look like you celebrated your first thanksgiving in style! What a great looking dinner! OMG yum to that mac and cheese!!! And it may not be the most gourmet thing ever, but banana pudding is so freaking good!!!
Oh My!! All the food looks absolutely gorgeously lip-smackin good!
I m sooo hungry now!! ANd no one celebs Thanksgiving here!!! Urghh!!
I havent eaten eggnog be4 ;p so I hope to try some this christmas, thn i can tell ya whether i hate it or love it!
Eggnog? I’m with you. Way too rich. Maybe as a sauce on top of a dessert suited to its taste? But NOT as a drink.
Oh my. This American Thanksgiving thing is making me very hungry…especially the 4 cheese mac and cheese. oh my. can i come over?
What a beautiful Thanksgiving!! you sound sooo happy in this post i love it! NO eggnog for me…yucky! wayyy too rich I agree with you! I hope you have a great weekend girlie! xoxo!
Great post. Glad you enjoyed your day so much.
Egg nog–hate it and LOVED your description of it. That is how I feel.
My husband enjoys it, but only about one little cupful, then he’s good for another year.
What a fun group!
It sounds like your first Thanksgiving was awesome! It doesn’t matter what I’m eating, as long as the company is good. Although having delicious food doesn’t hurt either. Stuffing is by far one of my favorite Thanksgiving foods. That and fresh cranberry sauce keep me going back for more and more and more.
I hate eggnog as well. WAY too thick. And sweet. Sickeningly so.
Your turkey looks great! I love the picture of the leaf too. Lots of great food!
My favorite Tday food is stuffing and pecan pie.
I hate eggnog. I don’t like the eggy, custardy flavor.
Awww I wish my family celebrated Thanksgiving! I was drooling while looking at the picture.
That Mac n cheese have original kind of cheese! Gorga…Gargozonla…soething like that, lol.
But if I was there, I think my fave would have been: Cheese and Herb biscuits and Korean rice cakes…love how glutinous they are
I need to try eggnog…Yes, I know, I’m a shame! I even never had pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and pecan pie…x)
xoxo
Vanilla
OMG that food looks good! You know what though, I kind of understand what you mean – my family never really celebrated Thanksgiving either, but now I do it with friends
And I find that that’s the best part!
Oh wow sweetie!!! everything looks so amazingly delicious. Gotta love the food babies! (and those pics of the real babies are ssssoo cute as well=)
You are so right about the holidays. Despite the food, its the company, family and friends that make the holidays special. Thanks so much for sharing those wonderful pics.
I think my favorite holiday foods are roasted veggies. I have no idea why but I love them! Also some country style stuffing! My mom used to make this all the time, so it has such a nostalgic feeling to me. I look forward to it every year.
I hope you have a fantastic day!!
looks like a delicious & successful tahnksgiving meal!! im so glad you have so many things to be thankful for and i really enjoyed your pictures…candied yams sound awesome!
xoox
shelley
http://findinghappinessandhealth.wordpress.com
wow!! glad ye had an awesome Thanksgiving!! >.<
Dang child, you got yourself a damn fine spread!
Haha, my phone was out for a few days and when you texted me…well…it was a bit to much to put into a simple text.
My Thanksgiving was good–awesome food, doting parents. But no Renfest, as my dad broke his wrist last week. Then I went horseback riding with my sister and she broke her arm. >_< I'm babysitting her today.
That sounds and looks like a lovely first real Thanksgiving. I’m glad you enjoyed it! The biscuits look amazing, do you have the recipe?
I’m glad to hear you had such a great Thanksgiving this year filled with awesome people and delicious food! Haha, I had Asian food (kung pao chicken) for one of my Thanksgiving meals. It’s ok, the other one had tons of yummy Thanksgiving food to make up for it =P
I agree that Thanksgiving is one of the best holidays, and I’m beginning to appreciate it more as I get older. There seriously is so much to be thankful for
My favorite Thanksgiving dish is a twist on Shepherd’s pie, stuffing, and green bean casserole. I’m not a gourmet foodie either so I guess I like cream of mushroom soup >.<
I haven't had eggnog since I was a kid, so I'm not sure, but I like eggnog flavored things (ice cream, coffee, bread).
Wow, those are really great pictures! It looks delicious.
I love mashed potatoes an pumpkin pie the best. And I am NOT a fan of eggnog. Never have been.
Sounds like a fantastic Thanksgiving!! : )
Ha, sometimes those food comas ARE totally worth it ; )
oh whoa!!!!! that’s a big Feast!! you are so lucky to have so many friends around you!!! I love that herb biscuit, they look so buttery and fluffy, I got to make it:-D
that banana pudding looks awesome too! that’s o my cup of tea! just mix and cool whip? that’s wonderful!
Glad that you have such a great thanksgiving!
Sophia, it makes me so happy to read that you had a good Thanksgiving!
Such wonderful food you ate,
the pumpkin pie looks so good. I have a sweet potato pie in my oven right now. I’m going to have a slice thinking of you!
<3Karina
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