How To Buy Turkey in China

It’s mid-November and we know what that means – Thanksgiving Day is coming quickly… do you have all your food ordered? Will you make it yourself or buy it somewhere and get it delivered?

In China, we only have a few options when it comes to cooking turkeys 火鸡 huǒ jī for our favorite holidays. As these birds are native to the Americas, they are a little more expensive and harder to find in the Middle Kingdom. Not impossible, no, but it’ll just take a little more leg work.classic roast turkey thanksgiving culture china culturalbility

Because as they say, it’s still better to be a turkey in America, than a duck in Beijing.

Western-Owned Restaurants

Now not just any western restaurant, it’s probably best to find one in your city that is actually owned by a person from the west. Also, not all of these restaurants will be offering turkeys. You’ll have to ask around.

The benefit of getting your turkey here is that it will come fully cooked and prepared on Thanksgiving Day. They might even deliver it.

Price will vary from about ¥800-1200, depending on the size, and might also include all the fixin’s…

Import Stores

From the famed Jenny Lou’s in Beijing to the infamous CityShops in Shanghai, their are import stores all around this grand country we find ourselves in.

Most all of the good import stores should be offering turkeys around this time of year. But again, not all import stores are created equal. The best advice is to ask a long term expat in your city.

Price will vary between ¥600-800 and will probably come frozen. You’ll need to cook it yourself. Will not include accoutrements.

Taobao.com

Another option (some would say a last resort) is Taobao, the ultimate shopping experience for buying anything you want under the sun in China.

These would come frozen and choose a shop near-ish to your city to allow for less delivery time.

We won’t recommend any particular shop, but you can check the ratings and prices yourself. Search for “进口火鸡” jìn kǒu huǒ jī (imported turkey) and you’ll get many delightful options.

Cheapest price we found was around ¥400 for a 5kg bird. Note: A lot of the list prices are by the half-kilo or kilo…

Happy turkey shopping!