Legend has it that the first Thanksgiving occurred when the newly arrived Pilgrims, who came to the New World due to religious persecution in their own countries, joined the indigenous Native Americans in a feast. No doubt the Pilgrims were thrilled as they were starving and the Indians had all the food.
By the way the Native American people were referred to as Indians because Chris Columbus thought he had sailed around the world and landed in India. I hope he fired his navigator…he was going in the right direction but a different continent kind of got in his way.
The turkey has been the traditional main course of the Thanksgiving feast. Come to think about it, turkeys are not the most intelligent birds; they have been known to drown themselves by looking up during rainstorms and getting heart attacks from the noise of low flying jets. They can fly for short distances but prefer to run on the ground. The largest one on record is a whopping 38 kilos. Turkeys are unique and native to North America and they are very tasty!
In a rare display of bad judgment founding father, statesman and inventor Ben Franklin lobbied that the turkey should be the national bird of the then new United States. I am glad he was overruled and the bald eagle prevailed. I would not feel comfortable carving up the national symbol with a sharp knife and I doubt bald eagle would be as flavorful anyway.
I have been absent the last four Thanksgivings at home. I miss the food, the reunions, and the inevitable family squabbles that tend to happen when we all get together once a year. And those can be quite entertaining!
