America: A Prodigy of Stereotypes

"Next, let's talk about marinating. You'll need ginger, garlic, and scallions. Chop them into small pieces, or you can blend them into a soup."

"If possible, prepare some high-proof liquor and marinate it with minced scallions, ginger, and garlic."

"When marinating, spread the marinade evenly over the turkey, making sure to coat every part. After stuffing the turkey, seal it with plastic wrap and put it in the refrigerator."

"Here comes the important part."

Harry and Peter sat up straight.

"Lotus leaves or banana leaves can be bought at Asian supermarkets. Prepare leaves that can completely wrap the turkey."

“I know what a banana leaf is, but what is a lotus leaf?” Peter asked, as neither he nor Harry knew the word “lotus leaf,” though they had seen it on television.

When Li Qun drew a picture of a lotus leaf on paper for them, they understood.

"If you can't buy lotus leaves or other leaves, you can use aluminum foil instead."

"You also need to prepare a piece of clean soil that is about the size of a turkey."

“What do you need the dirt for?” Harry asked.

“If we don’t have soil, we can use dough instead,” Li Qun said.

“I have no choice but to take the dough,” Peter said.

"Dung or dough, also wrapped around the turkey."

"The dough is on the outermost layer, and the foil separates the turkey from the dough. Do you understand what I mean?" Li Qun asked.

“We understand.” Peter and Harry both nodded.

Preheat the oven to 200℃, bake for half an hour, then bake at 180℃ for three hours.

"After baking, use a hammer to break up the dough or dirt on the surface. Do not do this step on the dining table, as there will be splash damage."

“Nothing special,” Gwen said.

“I didn’t tell you the complete marinade recipe. It’s not just about scallions, ginger, and garlic; there’s also a unique filling recipe that I haven’t mentioned.” Li Qun smiled at Gwen.

"You're pretty good."

Gwen shoveled a mouthful of rice into her mouth.

After lunch, Li Qun took out Thanksgiving gifts from his backpack and handed them to several people. The gifts came from the Zhen Dan Small Commodities Market, which Li Qun had visited and bought.

"Can we dismantle it now?" Gwen asked.

"can."

"I tore it down."

Gwen tore the gift wrapping paper to shreds, opened the box, and inside was a beautiful porcelain cup, which could be used as a decoration even if it wasn't for drinking tea.

Peter and Harry also had porcelain cups, and none of them were the same; each one was quite unique.

"Is this an antique? It's so beautiful!" Harry exclaimed in astonishment.

Harry also has several similar collectibles at home, which have always been kept in a cabinet that has always been locked, so he has never had the chance to take them out to look at them.

"This is a modern craft item, not expensive. Turn it upside down and look at the bottom."

“I can’t read Chinese characters,” Harry said, frowning.

"It says 'microwave safe' on it, meaning it can be put in a microwave oven," Liqun explained.

Is that really what you mean?

Harry examined the even glaze cracks on the modern celadon Ru ware teacup. Even as a modern craft, it must be quite expensive.

In Gwen's hand was a blue and white porcelain cup with gold-painted flowers and birds.

Harry felt that what he had was an antique, but when he saw what Gwen had, he felt that it was an antique among antiques.

“Tell me honestly, Liqun, your family isn’t just about running a Chinese restaurant, is it?” Peter asked seriously.

Peter unpacked the package and took out a warm, lustrous bone china cup. Under the light, it was so translucent that he could see his own fingers through it.

“I confess, my ancestors included 24 emperors who ruled China for a total of 405 years. The most famous emperor was Emperor Wu of Han, who drove the Xiongnu from the east to the west.”

Harry nearly dropped the porcelain cup in his hand.

Li Qun repeatedly emphasized that the cups he gave to the three of them were modern handicrafts, but they didn't believe it at all.

The last day before Chapter 88

"dad."

"What's wrong, Harry?"

When Harry got home from school, he saw Norman sitting in front of the fireplace with his legs crossed, watching TV. He took out the porcelain cup that Li Qun had given him from his backpack.

"This is a Thanksgiving gift from a friend. Dad, do you think this cup is valuable?"

Norman frowned. He didn't know anything about antique appraisal, and the celadon Ru kiln porcelain cup that Harry had taken out stumped him.

“My friend said it’s a modern craft,” Harry said.

"Hmm, it should be a modern craft item," Norman said uncertainly.

"Put it away carefully, don't break it."

Harry picked up his backpack and was about to go upstairs when Norman looked at him and felt like he had forgotten something.

"return."

Harry turned around.

“Give me the report card,” Norman said to Harry.

"Let me look for it."

With his report card tucked inside his textbook, Harry nervously handed the midterm exam results to Norman.

In private high schools, students are ranked by their exam scores, making it immediately clear who is first and who is last. This ranking system can be quite painful, but thankfully Midtown High School doesn't have it.

"And please sign your name on the report card."

Requiring parents to sign students' report cards is to ensure that parents are aware of their child's academic progress at school. Parental signatures are a common practice, but students with poor grades often forge parental signatures.

Norman took out a pen, signed his name on the report card, looked at Harry with a serious expression, and slowly handed the report card to Harry.

"Who is the friend who gave you the cup?" Norman asked.

“A classmate of mine, Lyon. His surname is Liu, and his ancestors were emperors of China, who ruled China for four hundred years.” Harry also used Li Qun’s words to bluff Norman Osborn.

"Really?"

"The New York Public Library can find information about their family."

"Could you invite your classmate and his family to celebrate Thanksgiving with us?" Norman asked.

"Lyon said that his family doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving."

“They don’t just skip Thanksgiving, they don’t skip Christmas either; they’re very busy on both holidays,” Harry said.

"Understandable."

Norman rested his chin on his hand and began to ponder.

Thanksgiving and Christmas were both very busy, probably because so many people came to visit Lyon's family, and just entertaining the guests kept them very busy.

“Dad, have you forgotten? I told you about Leon, and Uncle John knows him too,” Harry said.

"John Wick?"

Norman thought hard for a moment, and he really had forgotten. A few months ago, when he invited John Wick to his house, they did talk about the three of Harry's classmates, but he couldn't remember the details.

When Norman closed his eyes, all he could think of was that "mutant giant python".

He habitually referred to the mutated anaconda in the lab as a "giant python," but since he wasn't a biologist, he didn't need to correct whether it was a "giant python" or a "anaconda."

Keeping this giant python was extremely dangerous; Norman and Dr. Storm were on edge every day, fearing that it would escape.

……

Inside the Chinese restaurant, Li Qun was calling each of the customers who had placed orders.

The day before Thanksgiving, call the customers who made the reservations to remind them that they have booked a Thanksgiving dinner at Huanghelou Chinese Restaurant, and also to confirm whether there are any unexpected situations.

The vast majority of guests had no problems; only one or two guests with issues cancelled their reservations.

On Thanksgiving Day, Chinese restaurants offered deluxe Thanksgiving set menus, accepting only advance reservations. Although fewer customers were available, profits increased, and the restaurants weren't as busy as on weekends.

My uncle and aunt really love holidays.

Thanksgiving falls on the fourth Thursday of November, and the day after Thanksgiving is "Black Friday." Although Li Qun and his family don't celebrate Thanksgiving, they do celebrate "Black Friday."

Black Friday is the day when shopping malls and supermarkets offer the biggest discounts of the year, with some discounts as low as 10% off.

On Black Friday, the family will split up. The uncle will take Liqun (a brand of instant noodles), and the aunt will take Shuangxi (another brand of instant noodles). They will go to the supermarket and shopping mall to queue up at five or six in the morning and start a shopping spree as soon as the doors open.

My aunt started studying Black Friday promotional ads a week in advance, made a shopping list, and even set a spending budget to ensure there wouldn't be any oversights during the Black Friday shopping spree.

Christmas is not yet here, but shopping malls and supermarkets have already prepared all kinds of Christmas goods, and many families are buying Christmas gifts on Black Friday.

"Liqun, are you free on Thursday?"

"Auntie, is there anything I can help you with?"

"Shuangxi wants to see the Thanksgiving parade. Can you go with him?" his aunt asked.

"Of course, no problem."

Li Qun pulled out a newspaper, which had given advance notice of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade route.

They have to arrive early, otherwise they'll just be standing behind the crowd looking at the backs of other people's heads.

The Thanksgiving Day parade starts at 9:00 a.m. and ends at 12:00 p.m. The parade route starts from West 77th Street, goes along Broadway through Times Square, and finally arrives at the intersection of 34th Street and 7th Avenue.

The weather has been quite cold lately, with the lowest temperature at -3 degrees Celsius and the highest at 12 degrees Celsius, so please take precautions to keep warm.

……

……

On the last day before Thanksgiving, New York City Mayor William visited Midtown High School. Today's event was to celebrate Thanksgiving early with Mayor William.