Thanksgiving

Ok, so I was a bit sick of turkey. Enough with the turkey. So this year we settled on a hot pot dinner. I haven't had one in a while, and I just couldn't have one without Peking Duck. The only problem is you have to travel to Chinatown to get it. I hate going downtown, but it seemed like there was no avoiding it. So, I started my drive down to the city through Broad street and good old North Philadelphia. As you can see below, it's like a crack addicts paradise.



I get nervous every time I'm at a red light. Always good to see the police around. We need more police.



So I make it downtown and head to the one place where I know I can get my duckies. I ask them to pull two from the window and chop them up into little bits for portability. If you've never had Peking Duck before, you're not missing anything. Stay away from it. More for me :)



So I have to make three trips back to my car from the various shops I'm raiding. I've accumulated cakes, snacks, pastries, and assorted hot pot ingredients.



I get distracted by this neony bright store front. At this point, I'm done with shopping and just wandering around. I have to admit, I do miss the city at times. I have this urge to spend a few hours here eating and drinking.



So the inside of this store looks like something out of Blade Runner. I'm expecting Harrison Ford to shoot a Replicant any moment.



The second floor is mostly a bookstore, and apparently, a repository of the largest pirated DVD operation in Philly. They're mostly Asian flicks, but there's some domestic movies as well. Someones not getting their royalties.



So after I pay my $13 for parking, I slowly make my way out of the city. I've hit rush hour. Exactly what I was hoping to avoid. Damn you shinny store front!



In the end it was worth it. We had roasted Duck for dinner that evening, and then today (Thanksgiving) we had that and more. Was pretty filling to the point where I couldn't even eat any pastries. Will have to wait for tomorrow.



By the way, these Tofu Puffs... not very good. Like eating popcorn packing. They're off my list for hot pot.



A hellish trip into the city, but in the end all was well. Good luck to everyone tomorrow on Black Friday. I've got my list ready, and will be hitting the stores early. Happy Thanksgiving!