Where to eat for Thanksgiving?

[dereklee003]

I heard about Suji's in Itaewon, but seems overpriced. There is also one at Craftworks Taphouse for 27,000won.

Anyone heard of any other places doing it this year?

[kps1]

KFC is a cheap alternative. Just pretend it's Turkey. I did that with some friends a few years back in Japan.

[Ectofuego]

You can buy a whole turkey at Cost-co if you have an oven or giant fryer

[Bae Yoon Kyeong]

You can buy a whole turkey at Cost-co if you have an oven or giant fryer

I agree with Jason. Some of my friends bought a turkey from the costco in daegu. They also have pumpkin pie!!!!!

[Bae Yoon Kyeong]

You can buy a whole turkey at Cost-co if you have an oven or giant fryer

I agree with Jason. Some of my friends bought a turkey from the costco in daegu. They also have pumpkin pie!!!!!

I meant to say that my friends bought a pre-cooked turkey from costco. If you don't want turkey then you can always buy a pre-cooked chicken...those are delicious.

[dereklee003]

Pre-cooked turkey could be ok. How much would that set me back?

[marsavalanche]

Am I the only one who sees no point in celebrating American holidays when living abroad?

Do the people who celebrate Thanksgiving in Korea also take their kids trick 'r treating on their street and shoot fireworks off of their balconies once a year (I'm genuinely asking)?

If I had an American family here then I'd be all for it (for the kids since lets keep it real Korean holidays are lame compared to US).  But it just seems silly otherwise.

I was once invited to a Thanksgiving day dinner in Bundang.  I was told it was in a cafeteria sized room where everyone was given a plate for Thanksgiving sitting with tables of other expats.   Hey, you know where else they do this? Homeless shelters. The were charging something like 30k for this. ROFL.  I'd rather treat my best friend and girlfriend to a nice dinner in Seoul than be handed a paper plate in a cafeteria on Thanksgiving like a hobo. 

[mitchetom]

Its not about the quality of the food, its just more about the tradition of it I think.

For me, Thanksgiving is a great time to cook for my friends, so I'll probably organize a big meal. Noone has an oven though, so we'll have to be creative.

[justanotherwaygook]

Am I the only one who sees no point in celebrating American holidays when living abroad?

Do the people who celebrate Thanksgiving in Korea also take their kids trick 'r treating on their street and shoot fireworks off of their balconies once a year (I'm genuinely asking)?

If I had an American family here then I'd be all for it (for the kids since lets keep it real Korean holidays are lame compared to US).  But it just seems silly otherwise.

Thanksgiving can be celebrated with friends.  In the US, people who cannot travel to meet their families usually get together with other friends.  You can do the same here.

I bet a lot of parents do set up something for their kid on Halloween.  I (and others) did celebrate the Fourth with fireworks and a cookout.

[WorkingTitle3484]

Am I the only one who sees no point in celebrating American holidays when living abroad?

I was once invited to a Thanksgiving day dinner in Bundang.  I was told it was in a cafeteria sized room where everyone was given a plate for Thanksgiving sitting with tables of other expats.   Hey, you know where else they do this? Homeless shelters. The were charging something like 30k for this. ROFL.  I'd rather treat my best friend and girlfriend to a nice dinner in Seoul than be handed a paper plate in a cafeteria on Thanksgiving like a hobo. 

You're the only one who chooses to be a Debbie Downer about it.  For what reason?  Who knows. Maybe you think it's funny.  Maybe you enjoy being a silly egg.

Thanksgiving is about community.  I'm not surprised you were only once invited.  I do resonate with you on some level though.  I'd rather spend it with close ones than a huge group.

I think different hotels have Thanksgiving buffet style catering to foreign tastes.  I'm not from Seoul, but different hotels may offer it.

[Davey]

Am I the only one who sees no point in celebrating American holidays when living abroad?

Do the people who celebrate Thanksgiving in Korea also take their kids trick 'r treating on their street and shoot fireworks off of their balconies once a year (I'm genuinely asking)?

If I had an American family here then I'd be all for it (for the kids since lets keep it real Korean holidays are lame compared to US).  But it just seems silly otherwise.

I was once invited to a Thanksgiving day dinner in Bundang.  I was told it was in a cafeteria sized room where everyone was given a plate for Thanksgiving sitting with tables of other expats.   Hey, you know where else they do this? Homeless shelters. The were charging something like 30k for this. ROFL.  I'd rather treat my best friend and girlfriend to a nice dinner in Seoul than be handed a paper plate in a cafeteria on Thanksgiving like a hobo.

Stick to the topic. First of three warnings.

[Jeff619]

Am I the only one who sees no point in celebrating American holidays when living abroad?

I was once invited to a Thanksgiving day dinner in Bundang.  I was told it was in a cafeteria sized room where everyone was given a plate for Thanksgiving sitting with tables of other expats.   Hey, you know where else they do this? Homeless shelters. The were charging something like 30k for this. ROFL.  I'd rather treat my best friend and girlfriend to a nice dinner in Seoul than be handed a paper plate in a cafeteria on Thanksgiving like a hobo. 

You're the only one who chooses to be a Debbie Downer about it.  For what reason?  Who knows. Maybe you think it's funny.  Maybe you enjoy being a silly egg.

Thanksgiving is about community.  I'm not surprised you were only once invited.  I do resonate with you on some level though.  I'd rather spend it with close ones than a huge group.

I think different hotels have Thanksgiving buffet style catering to foreign tastes.  I'm not from Seoul, but different hotels may offer it.

I agree with spending it with friends.  I see nothing wrong with celebrating it here and it's a great time to get everyone together for some good times.  This year my Korean wife is especially excited because she's never celebrated it.  I'm thinking of picking up a turkey and trying to cook it in the oven or may even splurge and get a big fryer.  I'm really not into the big foreigner gatherings because the holiday is kinda meaningless if I'm spending it with a bunch of strangers. 

For the record, there was a huge 4th of July party in Seoul this year.  I personally don't put out my flag or shoot fireworks because it seems kinda stupid to do it alone haha. 

Marsavalanche, do you find it stupid when Mexicans celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the US?  That's one holiday that is celebrated on a large scale by the foreign community in the US, but it's also huge among us gringos too.  I always had a party every year.  I think celebrating your nation's holiday abroad is great.  It gives the locals a better understanding of our culture and they may even want to join in.  Lots of my Korean friends have asked me about Thanksgiving this year.

[bden011]

I almost went to an event in Seoul, but it was going to be 25,000 and I thought that was too steep. I do plan on spending some of Saturday evening at a Thanksgiving my church is holding for a more reasonable 10,000 won optional offering. :D

[marsavalanche]

Marsavalanche, do you find it stupid when Mexicans celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the US?  That's one holiday that is celebrated on a large scale by the foreign community in the US, but it's also huge among us gringos too.  I always had a party every year.  I think celebrating your nation's holiday abroad is great.  It gives the locals a better understanding of our culture and they may even want to join in.  Lots of my Korean friends have asked me about Thanksgiving this year.

It's a good question that I'd love to address since there are a lot of Mexicans where I'm from, but I don't think I'm allowed to since I've already gotten a warning for talking about Halloween, 4th of July, et al. Sorry.  :)

[Jeff619]

Marsavalanche, do you find it stupid when Mexicans celebrate Cinco de Mayo in the US?  That's one holiday that is celebrated on a large scale by the foreign community in the US, but it's also huge among us gringos too.  I always had a party every year.  I think celebrating your nation's holiday abroad is great.  It gives the locals a better understanding of our culture and they may even want to join in.  Lots of my Korean friends have asked me about Thanksgiving this year.

It's a good question that I'd love to address since there are a lot of Mexicans where I'm from, but I don't think I'm allowed to since I've already gotten a warning for talking about Halloween, 4th of July, et al. Sorry.  :)

Fair enough.  I'm from San Diego and there is obviously a very large Mexican community there.  One thing I love about Cinco de Mayo is how both the whites and Hispanics seem to join together on that day.  It isn't an American holiday (actually quite un-American) but you'll see even the white people throwing parties and having a good time.  I think that's what is really cool about celebrating one's national holidays abroad.  Just look how Halloween is becoming more and more popular here in Korea.

[makeshiftb0y]

Last year, I went to Chef Meili's in Itaewon, Seoul. I think it was 33,000 won. The food was pretty good, and the place was fairly small but decent. It was a typical Thanksgiving dinner but smaller than I'm used to--it was turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce (I think), and some other stuff. Not bad at all. We got real silverware and everything.

[ovid]

Whatever you guys do.. don't go to any of the Meetup's that host Thanksgiving unless you personally know someone who is organizing it. 

Last year I paid 45,000 won for what I thought would be a Thanksgiving dinner and ended up with the picture you see below.  The organizer suddenly got sick and we ate at a buffet at what would normally cost 10,000 won (with the exception of the pumpkin pie).

I do know that Geckos does have Christmas dinners that are pretty good, I wonder if they do thanksgiving ones too...  it'll be my second thanksgiving without eating turkey. :(

[iselynjenniep]

http://10mag.com/events/guide-to-thanksgiving-in-korea-2011/

[sallymonster]

Whatever you guys do.. don't go to any of the Meetup's that host Thanksgiving unless you personally know someone who is organizing it. 

Last year I paid 45,000 won for what I thought would be a Thanksgiving dinner and ended up with the picture you see below.  The organizer suddenly got sick and we ate at a buffet at what would normally cost 10,000 won (with the exception of the pumpkin pie).

I was at that dinner, too. It was hosted by a Meetup/Facebook group called Seoulite. I have not been to one of their events since.

I also organize my own meetup group (not organizing a Thanksgiving dinner this year, though), and after the Seoulite Thanksgiving dinner, a couple of my group's members who had also gone to the same dinner told me that when they wrote negative reviews on the Seoulite's Meetup website, the Seoulite organizers removed the reviews and banned them. I can't vouch for the accuracy of these people's stories, since I never got the Seoulite organizer's side of the story, so take of that what you will. A year later, Seoulite events seem to be as popular as ever.