COLUMN: When taste compromises tradition

For starters, turkey meat is lean and mild in flavor. Birds bought at the store, and especially ones killed in the wild, are large in size and contain enough meat to feed the whole family at the dinner table twice over.

Turkey meat is also versatile and can be used in a number of dishes. Not to mention the meat itself is a pretty healthy choice as a main course.

While Americans have a number of reasons to cook turkey, I believe the main reason they do is because of tradition. That being said, there are multiple reasons for breaking it. Let’s examine a few.

Many birds shoppers pick up from the supermarket have been raised in a pin surrounded by their dead brethren.

They are fed through a tube and pumped with synthetic chemicals. Now I am not a PETA member so, I don’t want to dwell on the treatment of the turkey pre-slaughter.

Why don’t we discuss more practical reasons to stay away from the bird? For instance; it is very difficult to cook well. Many people successfully cook a bird, but few (in my opinion) get it right. Oven size and type, temperature, and many other factors contribute to the cooking process of turkey, and alternative options like smoking or deep frying can be expensive, tedious, and potentially dangerous.

And let’s not forget that turkey meat, in comparison to other proteins, just is not that flavorful. No matter how well it is cooked.

I have always thought that Thanksgiving was a time for giving thanks to what you do have, and spending quality time with those you care most about. With that in mind, I try not to pay too much attention to the “details” of the holiday, like for instance the turkey.

In fact this year, I suggested to my grandmother that we grill some game-fish, like maybe a nice big slab of tuna or mahi-mahi. Who knows maybe that will start a new tradition.

I am certainly not telling everyone to go out and buy something exotic this year, but if turkey just isn’t your thing, and you don’t give too much stock to the tradition, eat what you want.

You may be surprised that Thanksgiving dinner may go over quite well even with the absence of the beloved poultry.

Matt Wheeler is a reporter for the Barrow Journal. You can reach him at mwheeler@barrowjournal.com.