Tastes of Home (Sort of)

You meet a lot of people overseas. Part of this is due to being a foreigner and in Indonesia and particularly in Medan, locals are fascinated by orang putih atau bule (white people or Westerners) because it’s not a major tourist city and there are so few of us. Another reason for meeting people is the natural affinity you have for others who are like you – foreigners. Out of place and out of step and trying to figure out how life is lived here.

We were blessed beyond our ability to convey with our language school. We arrived in Medan alone and they became not just our school or our community but our family. Covid restrictions were just being eased, borders were just being opened up, and we were among an influx of the first Westerners allowed into Indonesia and Medan for two years. We bonded together with the folks already there, and we welcomed newcomers.

One set of those newcomers is an ex-pat family from America. Alaska, more specifically. Their children are all still single-digit-years-old and the parents are a couple decades younger than us. But we’ve become family. The dad is an ex-Marine and they’re strong Christians who have come to build a business and live our their lives of faith in Jesus Christ in a very different part of the world.

And this ex-Marine decided he wanted turkey.

Turkey is hard to come by in Indonesia. Some would say it’s impossible to come by. That’s what we would have said. The only turkey or turkeys you could find were near Thanksgiving time when the small ex-pat import store would get in a few small frozen turkeys from Australia. And for a 10-pound frozen turkey you would pay close to $150. And as much as we wanted turkey for Thanksgiving that cost was just too high. But the ex-Marine decided to Google whether you could get any turkey elsewhere in North Sumatra (the island Medan is on).

Low and behold, the next town over – a mere 20-minute train ride from us – there is a turkey farm. An organic turkey farm. Although that terminology is perhaps even less defined here than it is in the US. Still, if we could (and do!) gobble down the local chickens and eggs, certainly these turkeys couldn’t be that much more dangerous!

So early in December he and I did some reconnoitering. And it was true. There is a turkey farm. We saw the turkeys and talked with the (somewhat baffled) man responsible for them. We asked if we could come back in three weeks, on December 28, and purchase one of them and he was happy to agree. The cost would be about $20 US. We had no idea how big the turkey would be but it was a risk we could afford to take together.

So a week ago we piled into his Toyota along with various spawn and spouses and headed out to pick up our turkey. We weren’t sure the condition it would be in but we’d figure that out. If he would only sell it to us alive, we knew we could ensure it was dead before we put it in the car with us. That was as far ahead as we thought. I brought some heavy duty trash bags. Because, who knows, right?

Our future dinner was indeed alive when we arrived, and enjoyed a brief strut around us. A fine looking hen.

With some additional conversation we conveyed we wanted it slaughtered and the owner packed the live turkey into a bag and put it on his scooter and we followed him to the ayam potong (chicken cutter) a few minutes away. There we watched as the bird was dispatched calmly, then placed into boiling water to remove the majority of the feathers before being tumbled a bit longer out of the water and plucked and gutted. Feet and head were removed and we were left with what turned out to be a 14-pound turkey that looked somewhat like a very lean Butterball having a bad day.

Our friends brined it overnight and then we put it into our oven the next day. A few hours later we enjoyed an amazing holiday dinner together. Mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, some Stove Top Stuffing, walnut bread, and of course the guest of honor, our roasted turkey. It was a little tough and a bit overcooked but it tasted delicious and we did indeed give thanks to God for his blessings to us, familiar as well as newfound!

We’re excited to know we have options for turkey, next year hopefully on Thanksgiving Day!