Turkey Day in Thailand

As anyone might assume, there is no Thanksgiving holiday here in Thailand. Most of the foreigners here are Europeans, and the few other Americans I know seem to have let it slip by unnoticed. No turkey dinner, no stuffing, and no mashed potatoes. I've had a few of the locals ask me to explain the holiday, but it's a little difficult to explain to someone whose family has lived in the same area since for over 10,000 years. Thailand is the only country in Southeast Asia that was never fully colonized by the west. The rulers of Thailand in the 19th century pitted Great Britain and France against each other in a tricky political dice game. After the Japanese invasion of World War II, they signed a truce with Tokyo, and the Japanese helped them regain land that had been lost to European colony incursions. After the war, Thailand emerged as a major U.S. ally and we stopped the Europeans from taking back their colonies in the country. Quite a sharp little shell game they had going.

On a lighter note, is one of the more unusual sights that I have seen during my time here. Thailand is a primarily Buddhist country. Most homes and businesses have a small temple out front like the picture above. I call it the "Buddha house", and they range greatly in size and detail. Every morning a small offering is placed in the "Buddha house" usually consisting of food, drink, and incense. During one of my walks, I came across a fairly large "Buddha house" in front of a local business. Perched inside was none other than a live turkey gobbling up Buddha's meal for the day. I had 101 funny ideas for a blog post or an article after seeing that, but I've decided to let you put your own meaning to it.

Happy Thanksgiving!