Thanksgiving resurrection of the international gangs
Yiting Shen '06
Issue date: 12/5/06 Section: Student Life
The BHP was dead the day before Thanksgiving; only Jews and Chinese conversed nostalgically about holiday activities. Thanksgiving belongs to Americans and their families feasting and watching football together, with the rule of thumb being that every day until Christmas will involve eating and drinking.
Pilgrims and Indians, turkey and stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, the Thanksgiving spirit lies in cooking and eating with family and friends. Since turkeys are not as popular among internationals as they are symbolic, people found different ways of enjoying Turkey Day. Some Chinese students ate turkey for lunch but reserved Chinese or hot pot for dinner before they played Mai Jiang or Texas Hold'em. Others are fond of chicken as they are smaller and tastier. A Nigerian classmate cooked chicken, cassava, and okra soup for her friends.
"[I] feel lonely if I don't eat turkey," My French girlfriend said over the MIT Sloan Thanksgiving dinner. Being an international student in Boston, one is usually invited to a big Thanksgiving dinner by her American host family. However, the MIT Sloan international community forms their own gangs to nurture our curious souls over the holiday.
While watching NFL football on Thanksgiving Day has become an American tradition, the internationals pursued their passion after the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Having clinched the Boston Graduate School Soccer League Championship, they made their own trails on Thanksgiving Day in Florida's Everglades National Park. Yet a few others hunted for snow in Killington during this wet holiday weekend. Since sports are the core of most Sloanies' lives, the long weekend outing became the long desired bonus.
Although it is said that the West coast has less Thanksgiving feelings than the East coast, quite a few international Sloanies ventured to San Diego and Seattle. South Beach is no longer favorable for a diet but many fair-skinned classmates sought out this destination to tan during the holiday weekend. While Chicago joined the hands of the Portuguese and Spanish couples, the exotic Las Vegas rouged the cheeks of several new lovers.
Pilgrims and Indians, turkey and stuffing, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie, the Thanksgiving spirit lies in cooking and eating with family and friends. Since turkeys are not as popular among internationals as they are symbolic, people found different ways of enjoying Turkey Day. Some Chinese students ate turkey for lunch but reserved Chinese or hot pot for dinner before they played Mai Jiang or Texas Hold'em. Others are fond of chicken as they are smaller and tastier. A Nigerian classmate cooked chicken, cassava, and okra soup for her friends.
"[I] feel lonely if I don't eat turkey," My French girlfriend said over the MIT Sloan Thanksgiving dinner. Being an international student in Boston, one is usually invited to a big Thanksgiving dinner by her American host family. However, the MIT Sloan international community forms their own gangs to nurture our curious souls over the holiday.
While watching NFL football on Thanksgiving Day has become an American tradition, the internationals pursued their passion after the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Having clinched the Boston Graduate School Soccer League Championship, they made their own trails on Thanksgiving Day in Florida's Everglades National Park. Yet a few others hunted for snow in Killington during this wet holiday weekend. Since sports are the core of most Sloanies' lives, the long weekend outing became the long desired bonus.
Although it is said that the West coast has less Thanksgiving feelings than the East coast, quite a few international Sloanies ventured to San Diego and Seattle. South Beach is no longer favorable for a diet but many fair-skinned classmates sought out this destination to tan during the holiday weekend. While Chicago joined the hands of the Portuguese and Spanish couples, the exotic Las Vegas rouged the cheeks of several new lovers.
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