American Thanksgiving

From: TheYeogiyo.com | Nov. 11, 2009

American Thanksgiving is soon approaching (it’s held on the fourth Thursday of November – the 26th this year) so football is being downloaded and Yanks are bragging to their friends about who has scored marshmallows for the yams. If you're in need of some finger lickin' good turkey (or equivalent), take note of these suggestions to get yourself celebrating the holiday in Korea.

It might be hard to cook a turkey on the stovetop your tiny apartment has been equipped with, but there are other options for a home cooked meal. Try asking a local restaurant (yes, seriously), or a hagwon employer if their school is equipped with a kitchen, or bundle up and cook it outside, deep frying style. You can ask your army base or Korean friends too. (Sorry, as much as TheYeogiyo.com wants to help in any way possible, opening our oven to 30 birds in a week will just not do...though we know that's the dream for some of you, surely).

When it comes to the turkey itself, you can't exactly get it shipped over here from Mom unless you've found the secret portal to the perfect world. Try the following places for a bird of random sizes — they're usually on the small side here, which means a few of you can have a contest to see whose turkey comes out the best. If there's not competition, it's not Thanksgiving.

(Just in case, always call ahead, all right?)

• Check out the John Cook site (you’ll have to allow pop-ups) - at http://www.johncook.co.kr. They will seriously deliver- hot and cooked – a 4-5 kg turkey with cranberry sauce for W99,800 (to Seoul, Ilsan and Bundang) or cook it yourself for W69,800. Pinch yourself...that’s right. You need to order and pay three days in advance and then find 10-15 friends to share it with (unless you’re planning on living on leftovers...dude, we’re not judging.)

• The Haddon House Market close to the UN Village at Oksu Station. Cost ranges from W70,000-W90,000 and birds feed about three to ten people. Or one person with weeks and weeks of leftover turkey sandwiches (show you care with a Valentine's Day turkey sarnie.) 02-794-0511.

• Hannam Market near Hangangjin Station. Walk from Exit #2, cross the pedestrian bridge at the intersection and turn right. You'll see a Volvo building on your left, and then the stairs leading down to the market. Those stairs lead to sweet, heavenly turkey. 02-702-3313.

• Call the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Yongsan to see if they're stocking turkeys this year — 02-799-8167 (aw, shucks, we called them for you – turkeys are available for W34,000 per kg.

• Those in Daegu can breathe a sigh of relief...after unbuttoning your pants post-feast. The 8th floor of the Novotel will host a turkey buffet from 6 – 10 p.m. Call 053-664-1168 or look for the tallest building downtown (right across from the 2.28 park, near Hanil movie theatre).

• The USO hosts a Thanksgiving day meal on the 26th at the Camp Kim Canteen. Check out http://affiliates.uso.org/korea for more information or to reserve a spot.

• The Grand Intercontinental Hotel near COEX in Gangnam and the Red Door Market in Itaewon has been known to have turkeys as well.

• Costco is a good bet for turkeys along with all the fixin's, like pumpkin pie and cranberry sauce. Visit a real-life location (nearly 8kg of turkey for W80,000), or use the EZShopKorea.com service to have a turkey delivered to your door. At W55,000 for a 3.0 kg turkey, you'll have to save your allowance, and the picture of some clammy legs sticking out of a Styrofoam box filled with ice doesn't exactly conjure up images of Grandma Betsy and Cousin Charley, but none of that will matter when you're giving thanks for having at least a piece of the thing on your plate.

• Impossible to cook it, but want to eat at home? Try Delibonbons at COEX in Gangnam (02-3430-8660). Pop in for take-out and they'll give you a turkey, roasted and steamed vegetables, stuffing, cranberry sauce and giblet gravy. A 6kg turkey weighs in at W180,000+VAT and an 8kg bird costs W200,000+VAT.

If home isn't where the heart is because the heart won't fit in the home at the same time as the turkey, get cozy at some of the many turkey dinners happening at local establishments.

• Eat a turkey feast at the JW Marriott Hotel with a four-course meal on November 26th. A set menu offers turkey for W90,000 per person (the meal is partnered with apples, cranberries, corn bread, potatoes, sausage, cabbage and carrots. Presumably it's served in a kitchen sink.)

• Big Rock Brewery claims to be offering the best gourmet Thanksgiving dinner, hosted by Eloquence magazine, in Seoul on Saturday, November 28th. From 6:30 – 9:30. Make a reservation at 02-539-6650.

• Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday are the dates of a Thanksgiving meal including turkey with classics like turkey, macaroni and cheese and scalloped potatoes at the Bungalow and Loco Loca in Itaewon.

• Also consider Toque Diner near Hangangin Station (02-794-3834), Chef Meili's in Itaewon (02-794-7024), the Grand Intercontinental Hotel in Samsung-dong (02-559-7631), Westin Chosun (02-317-0033), Gecko's in Itaewon, The Paris Grill in the Grand Hyatt Hotel (02-799-8161), and many churches including Sarang Community Church in Gangnam.

• Feel like watching the tide go out with turkey stuffed into your gob? The Seaman's Club in Busan hosts much-talked about dinners as well.


If you need help getting in touch with a restaurant or hotel for your Thanksgiving plans, just ask TheYeogiyo and we'll get you having to squeeze with all of your might into your post-Thanksgiving jeans in no time. If you’ve heard of something and we haven’t, let us know – or help us fix any mistakes we might have made…must…stop typing…while blindfolded….