Gobble Gobble
Another excuse to spend an entire day eating
Hi guys and all you Turkey Twizzlers Happy Thanksgiving wherever you are lets get stuffed (with food) on this special day. Take care stay safe.
Domestic turkeys come from the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo), a species that is native only to the Americas. In the 1500s, Spanish traders brought some that had been domesticated by indigenous Americans to Europe and Asia. The bird reportedly got its common name because it reached European tables through shipping routes that passed through Turkey. On a continent where fine dining still included eating storks, herons, and bustards, the meaty, succulent turkey was a sensation.
Later on, when English settlers came to America, they were amazed to find the same birds running wild and free, and tasting really good thanks to their natural diet of chestnuts, beechnuts, walnuts, and other native mast. That is probably one of the reasons the turkey was to serve as our national emblem—it’s a beautiful, genuinely American bird that tastes wonderful and had enormous economic value.
Golly! This thanksgiving, Uncle Frank ate 8 pieces of turkey, 4 stuffing balls, 2 helpings of mashed potatoes, half the dish of corn and green beans, AND went back for seconds on his pumpkin pie! No wonder he broke grandma's new dining room chair...
The mating ritual of wild turkeys is an interesting dance. Certainly it begins with the gobbler displaying for hens. Out of the mix a receptive hen will parade close to her suitor. She will circle him, get his attention and once he becomes interested the two become locked in a beautiful ballet. When a big gobbler is in breeding mode he is fully on lockdown, uncallable, will ignore decoys and all his attention is directed toward his hot little girlfriend. He will pursue her, circle, fan, display and eventually she will approach and get kissin’ close.
That’s when the gobbler becomes super excited, blood rushes to his extremities and he eventually wiggles behind her. It is actually the hen that initiates the actual breeding act. She will seductively wiggle her tail in front of the old boy and then lay down on her tummy. That’s when the gobbler approaches from the back, climbs on her and initiates breeding. The act only takes a minute or so and after climax the gobbler will step off her back and stand next to his partner. The hen will shake her feathers, sort of move away from the gobbler but quickly return, get in front of him and lay down for round two.
*Thanksgiving pants*
Pants that are worn in anticipation of eating a huge meal (i.e. Thanksgiving dinner). These pants usually boast an elastic waist, to allow some give for that third helping of sweet potato pie.
_The girls and I are going to a buffet for dinner, so I'm wearing my Thanksgiving pants._