Thanksgiving....Whatever that is?!

So last thursday was Thanksgiving Day. This is America's biggest public hloiday of the year, the people we live with tell us that the whole country gets the thursday and friday off work so everyone has a 4 day weekend. I think England could do with inventing a similar holiday and giving us all a nice long weekend. Despite it being such a prestigious occaision all I gathered that the yanks actually do for Thanksgiving is eat lots of food, drink lots of beer and then watch American Football- sounds like how I envisage every day in America.





Brock and Becky want to Pingyao during the week, so "celebrations" were held off until the weekend. We went back to the World Trade Plaza hotel for another of their splendid buffets. I had seen the Head Chef in the bar a few weeks prior and he promised that when we came back he would make it extra special-and he did not dissapoint. They had all the usual fayre such as steaks, lasagne and lamb chops. But they added a lovely joint of beef, a roast turkey (from which I scavanged a whole massive leg), huge cumberland sauages and then prime fillet steak that was cooked to perfection and they brought round to your table and carved you off as much as you like. Despite Dave and my promises that we would go slower this week and get the most out of our meal, as soon as the lady came over and inquired "buffet?" we launched out of our chairs and got at it. I think we both managed 3 or 4 heaped plates.







A few funny things happened. Across from our table was a little boy having a meal with his parents. He came to mine and Dave's attention early on in the evening because of the large plate of Watermelon he had carried to the table. There must have been around 12 huge slices on it. He slapped it down at his place and tucked straight in. Dave and I thought nothing of it until he made repeat journeys for yet more watermelon, and again and again. He must have eaten about 4 whole water melons. It was ridiculous. We gave him a huge cheer when he came back to the tables. We got a bit worried when he went to the toilet and dissappeared for about 10 minutes. We thought we had made him sick. He then came back, picked up another plate and carried on. Superb! He didn't even let the photo interupt him- look how proud his father is!






Also I managed to shoot a bowle of ice cream off my plate and on to the floor. I stood there red faced and laughing to myself thinking that I had got away wtih it, until Dave came in and dobbed me in.