What They Really Ate on Thanksgiving

inedible - adjective - not able to be eaten (Google).

Thanksgiving has a tendency to creep up on you. And like any other holiday, once it is upon you, it stays for a few hours and then vanishes unlike the wild turkey (I'm talking the fowl here, not a hyper idiot or whiskey) of New Jersey that can decide to have a picnic in front of your car and refuse to relocate even when you lean on the horn. Most who celebrate the Pilgrims and Native Americans being united in good cheer for the first time up in Massachusetts in the early 1600s, adhere to their own set of traditions, which almost always includes a turkey (not a stubborn one, a defrosted Butterball). That being said, there is some controversy as to whether the original celebrants included the turkey on the menu. 

Yesterday, as I was eating a hardboiled egg (a safe choice for any meal), I read TIME's "Her Tribe Fed the Pilgrims..." which is all about a Mashpee Wampanoag chef who is perpetuating the recipes of her people at her restaurant. The Mashpee Wampanoags were the friendly tribe who joined the refugees from England, some of whom just wanted to practice their religion sans any conflicts, which is nothing new even in this age. It is probably true that the natives chose the food for that initial dinner as the English have never been known for their cuisine although the last time I was in London, I did notice a vast improvement. What I am trying to impart here is that according to Sherry Pocknett, the Wampanoag cook featured in the essay, the vast, diverse party of diners probably didn't eat any turkey because the tribal people respected the "intelligence" of the turkey way too much to sample its edible wares. Instead, they most likely consumed the first two of which I consider to be inedible: venison (I don't eat deer because I feed them everyday on my front lawn; I try not to serve up animal friends to friends), duck (another pal) and various fish in addition to cornmeal, the latter most on the list being the only thing I have ever served on Thanksgiving. You must know of Jiffy corn muffin mix? Yes, that's it. The packaged cornmeal makes a great loaf of cornbread and only costs about a dollar. 

I have to admit that I was a bit disappointed after reading the article. The acumen of the turkey must have gone down considerably over the centuries as I have never met a smart one. And it's a good thing because I enjoy eating turkey on Thanksgiving Day. I don't know what I'd do if I were forced to start thinking of them as friends. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate it! 

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