Thanksgiving in Old Shanghai
A service of Thanksgiving. A big turkey dinner, with all the trimmings. A hotly contested football classic. It all sounds very traditional, very American, and so it was: it was Thanksgiving in 1930s Shanghai.
Thanksgiving Service at Holy Trinity
Left: Holy Trinity Cathedral, where Thanksgiving services were held
In 1935, the Thanksgiving service at Holy Trinity Cathedral, decorated by the American Women’s Club, was presided over by the U.S. Consul-General, Edwin Cunningham. President Franklin Roosevelt’s Thanksgiving proclamation was read by Judge Milton Purdy of the U.S. Court for China. A choir lifted their voices, Maestro Mario Paci conducted the Shanghai Municipal Orchestra, and then it was off to “Turkey Tiffin”.
Thanksgiving Tiffin
The Foreign YMCA, one of several locations that offered Thanksgiving tiffin
Some families cooked and hosted Thanksgiving dinners, but restaurants and cabarets also offered Thanksgiving ‘tiffin’ – meaning lunch, an Anglo-Indian term that, like ‘Bund’, made its way to Shanghai via British India.
At the Foreign YMCA on Bubbling Well Road (Nanjing West Road) and the Navy Y on Szechuen (Sichuan) Road, the huge Thanksgiving feasts were always attended by a consular official, “just to let the boys feel that someone is looking out for them and has their interests at heart.”
But the dinner that roused the most envy was the one for U.S. servicemen: on board the USS Pittsburgh, the sailors dined on cream of tomato soup, roast turkey with oyster dressing and gravy, mashed potatoes, asparagus with butter sauce, baked spiced ham, celery, lettuce, olives, oranges, apples, mixed nuts, ice cream, cake, mince pie, and coffee. “Novel menus were prepared as souvenirs and as proof to the family at home that Thanksgiving in China is not as bad as it might be.”
In 1933, The China Press, the city’s American-owned newspaper, published a typical Thanksgiving menu for its international readers, explaining that “to be really authentic, turkey should form the center of the menu, filled with “stuffing”, rich in sage, onions, chestnuts, or oysters. Then of course, there should be cranberry jelly, sweet and Irish potatoes, a green vegetable, a salad and a final touch – mince or pumpkin pie.”
Thanksgiving Football Game: Shanghai Civilians vs U.S. Fourth Marines
Top: The Champs de Courses at the Canidrome, where the annual Gridiron Classic was played (photo: Virtual Shanghai)
No lingering over Thanksgiving dinner, though: at 2.30pm (sharp!) Shanghai headed over to the Canidrome—yes, the greyhound racing track—for the much-anticipated “gridiron classic,” featuring the Fourth Marines against the Civilians. The Fourth Marine Band performed, and there were enthusiastic cheering sections for each side — including Shanghai American School students, rooting for the civilians. Year after year, the Marines routed the Civilians (who clearly needed to come up with a better name!), taking home the coveted Cunningham Cup, named for the US Consul-General.
Thanksgiving After Parties: A Hot Time in the Old Town
Cabarets “from Hongkew to Rue Chu Pao San” (Blood Alley) were decorated for Thanksgiving, and the China Press reported that there would be special entertainment for sailor patrons on Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving Day, adding, “needless to say, there will be a hot time in the old town on those nights”.
REFERENCES:
Americans Ready for “Turkey Day”. (1930, November 30). The China Press.
Thanksgiving Day in Shanghai. (1930, December 2). The North-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette.
Shanghai Americans Will Join Homeland in Fiesta. (1931, November 26). The China Press.
Marines, Civilians Clash in Thanksgiving Game Today. (1932, November 24), The China Press.
Traditional Turkey is Bird for Thanksgiving Day Dinner. (1933, November 28). The China Press.
Turkey to Rule the Roost Here Today. (1935, November 28). The China Press.