I’ll admit, when I was younger I was never a big fan of turkey. It was never really my favourite part of Christmas dinner. That honour would have to go to desert. And back in the day when there were twenty some family members gathered around the table, there was probably more desert than turkey to go around. Three or four different deserts were not uncommon. Turkey was just something you ate to get to desert. And with that many desert, you didn’t want to fill up on turkey.
But I have grown into turkey. I’m not sure why. I know tastes change over time, and perhaps it’s also the fact that the turkey has changed.
Not that I haven’t enjoyed other turkeys, but our Christmas turkeys have been special the last few years. We get a home grown turkey for Christmas. The bird is grown by a relative, running free for several weeks before ending up on our table. And somehow they seem to taste better.
Some may say it’s because they are happier. Or that they eat things like bugs. I don’t know why, but they seem to taste better.
Although we really have to figure out when to tell them to stop eating. A free range turkey may be delicious, but a twenty plus pound free range turkey is delicious for far too long. Particularly this year, when we are limited as to how many people we can invite to dinner. But that doesn’t stop me from trying to eat it down to the last spoonful of soup.
But there have been times over the years when I was not such a fan of turkey. There were years we had other things for Christmas dinner. You may think ham, but that`s not where we went with the feast alternatives. There was at least one year when I can remember a big feed of corned beef and sauerkraut for Christmas. It may seem strange, but there were a few family members who were big fans of pickled cabbage. And I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it as well.
There was also a Christmas or two when lobsters took the spot of honour as the main course.
There may have been a few other different Christmas dinners over the years.
But these days, don’t even try to get between me and my turkey. We have a special bond. As for desert… just give me a few minutes.
