Squeezed by Halloween on the front and Christmas on the back, the Thanksgiving turkey has lost his strut. Ghoulish and merry decorating frenzies have taken on such proportions and timing that the bird scarcely gets noticed before the curtain comes down on Thanksgiving. Tragic , even without a poultry paradox thickening the plot.
From a recent LendingTree survey- Americans on average spent $475 on this year’s holiday meal. That’s a whopping 53% increase over last year. An interesting tidbit: Boomers spent a paltry $174 versus millennial’s $556. I suspect this is the spread between “Do it yourself” and “Outsource to Whole Foods.” More from LendingTree: Nearly 40% of respondents said procuring Thanksgiving dinner was a financial strain that required deficit spending. They had to borrow money to buy the turkey. That’s sobering.
And now the paradox.
From the post-Thanksgiving WSJ, This Year, Smaller Thanksgivings Mean Bigger Leftover Issues: Since when did leftovers become “issues”? Since when did a refrigerator filled with the extras from a delicious meal elicit “Eek”? What about the turkey sandwich laced with dressing and cranberry relish? Or the sandwich that showcases the family’s Dukes v. Hellmans controversy? (Wouldn’t you love to hear Nina Totenberg reporting that majority opinion.) And why not turkey tikka masala? Or turkey soup made from the meaty carcass to bring it to an end. After your turkey stars on Thanksgiving, give him an enthusiastic curtain call. Maybe two or three…
“Give neither counsel or salt till you are asked for it.” I’m willfully ignoring the counsel part of this old proverb with the turkey talk; you’re on your own with the salt!