Here is perhaps a curious question.

We are looking forward to including a small group of Chinese guests in our family Thanksgiving dinner. I will of course not include a cheese course in the meal but wonder about other dietary sensitivities that are common.

Yes, I know that the point is for them to experience a traditional New England Thanksgiving dinner but I also want to be aware of anything that might trigger discomfort. I remember the acute sense of unease we felt at a meal in China when we were served some type of birds that had been artfully arranged to suggest that they were 2 birds sleeping in a nest. Surely there are analogues in American dietary customs.

Thank you for any advice that will help me to serve a meal that all will enjoy.

They shouldn't have any problem with the standard Thanksgiving fare. Afterall, Chinese eat pretty much anything...

Some people, however, still don't eat salad. But it's not really an issue, as you should have other cooked vegetables.

Thanks for the prompt reply!

Is the issue with salad that some ingredients give offense or that it just seems odd to heap cold raw vegetables in a bowl and drizzle them with dressing?

By the way, these guests come from 4 different families from different parts of China.

There's no tradition in China of eating fresh vegetables uncooked. They may be preserved, salted, pickled, but not fresh+uncooked. It's a Western thing we've learned to eat in recent years.

If your guests are younger, have lived outside China for a while, etc, they will eat salad. But say one is older on his/her first trip to the US, chances are the salad will not be touched.

Thanks again. This is helpful!

I agree with rkkwan, I would not alter anything, and would include the cheese course. The Chinese are not “offended” by anything related to food in my experience, they don’t have any religious taboos related to food like Muslims or Hindus do. They love food, but may not be used to the way you cook it or present it. To be frank, they may find the whole event as strange as you might find a Chinese wedding banquet, but as enjoyable as well. The fact that you may serve appetizers in another room before the main mean and that those appetizers may be heavy enough to constitute a meal in itself, the fact that all the food will be put on the table at the same time rather than in courses, the fact that you will follow a very large meal with pie, cookies, cakes and/or other desserts rather than just fruit or nothing at all will all seem strange. Salad and cheese is the least of it, IMO. Just do your normal thing and let them experience a “typical” American Thanksgiving.

FYI, the two sleeping birds you found so hard to take were probably the highlight of the meal you were served.

Cicerone made an excellent point. Chinese will not get offended by anything you put on the table. Absolutely not. So, feel free to do anything you wish!

I mean, on my recent trip to China, I had ants, bees, wild mushrooms, porridge made with poppy, and so on... And for one important banquet, all food was put on banana leaves with no plates, etc; and we ate with our bare hands.

I don't what you serve will shock anybody.

There is an old Chinese saying that you can eat anything, provided its back faces heaven. So I don't think that you should have any problems.

However I am interested in your comment that, "I will of course not include a cheese course", having lived in Asia for 35 years and in Hong Kong for 22 of them I cannot recall a Chinese guest who refused cheese.

My biggest problem with Asian guests has been to get them to sample mutton or lamb.

I'll also suggest that, if you can, have a meat dish besides turkey. (Like a ham.) Most of my relatives find turkey really dry, so over the years I've been modifying my turkey recipe to include a heritage turkey, copious brining, and the incorporation of Chinese spices to make it more palatable. However, since you're not catering exclusively to your Chinese guests I'd just suggest offering an alternative protein, if you can.

Just finished making the cranberry chutney and came back to find these delightful comments.

Cicerone, you capture so well the peculiarities of our dining/entertaining habits! (And yes to the presumed honor of the sleeping turtledoves or so they seemed.) I am dispensing with appetizers in favor of just drinks in the living room before we sit down to dinner precisely because it's just too much to serve in the context of a Thanksgiving meal. The rest is as you imagine though, including the piling on of desserts at the end. Just the fact that we sit so long after dessert over coffee (and sometimes after-dinner drinks) is sure to seem odd as well.

rkkwan, what a great list -- ants, bees, etc.-- much more exotic than what we have sampled in Asia.

Tangata, Chinese friends told us awhile back that eating cheese (like drinking milk) was extremely distasteful, and that even being around those who did so was vexing. Have we been tweaked?

What I usually find helpful when we entertain guests from different cultures is to prepare a hand-written menu, so that they know what (and how much) is being served so that they can pace themselves.

Enough comments on salad (though I've seen shredded cabbages and cucumbers served as "cold appetisers" in chinese banquets).

There are greater proportion of lactose intolerence among Chinese population. Also, they may not be familiar with strong-flavoured/soft-mould cheese. Though I trust your guests will have plenty of other delicacies to enjoy.

Interestingly, some chinese dishes are quite similar to what you may serve... Candied yams or pecan pies are similar to traditional chinese snacks(though they usually tend to serve fresh fruits more after a full course.) The only thing that they'll notice the difference is if you're serving rice. Chinese rice of course is short-grain, sticky kinds. Dark meat is considered more flavourful and moist than the breast, though it is really a personal taste.

Many nomads and minority groups in Western China eat a lot of milk/cheese stuff, though they are often made of goat/lamb/sheep milk.

In Shunde in Southern Guangdong (half-way between Guangzhou and Macau), some of their most famous dishes are made with a soft yogurt.

ah, and I forgot about those fermented tofu that overpowers any stinky french cheese...

Joking aside, I also recommend going easy on the potion size. So that they don't feel compelled to eat everything on their plates if the taste doesn't suit them. But ask if anyone would like seconds/thirds etc.

Something that I just learned from my Chinese class - in Chinese culture, it is considered polite to serve guests little bits of food. So, if you're passing the mashed potatoes (or whatever) around, serve your honored guest a bit instead of allowing them to help themselves - they'll think you're super polite! Of course, W9 makes a great point about portion size - keep it small. Chinese are used to eating a small amount from a lot of different dishes rather than a large amount of few dishes. They will probably recognize the sweet potatoes (once a staple of life here - some cannot bear the sight or smell of sweet potatoes since it was once one of the only foods they had). Roasted turkey is unusual - and "dry" is a common criticism. Mashed potatoes are served in China - as a vegetable! One thing my Chinese friends' mother always asks for - steamed rice, even on Thanksgiving day. For some reason, she feels empty without it.