What is the meaning of Thanksgiving and how do I prepare a Turkey?

These are important questions, though I must say it is a little late for you to be asking considering that Thanksgiving is right around the corner!

Thanksgiving is a feast, and feasting is something humans do in many cultures (but not all, probably). A while back I wrote a piece of feasting that you should read to prepare yourself for Thursday:

The Feast (A Thanksgiving Day Story)

There's a lot of ways to cook a turkey and everybody has their favorite. But this way is the best:

How to cook a turkey

In case you were wondering about the origin of the turkey, here's the info on that:

The Domestic Turkey and the First Thanksgiving

In case you were feeling bad about cooking the turkey (or other animals) you can find out how to do a Vegan Thanksgiving here.

Meanwhile, you might want to make gravy, in which case you will need information on how to make stock as well:

How to make stock

How to make gravy

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A small typo, or perhaps a Freudian pun: "... feasting is something humans do in man cultures ..." (along with football, presumably). :-D

By Michael Kelsey (not verified) on 25 Nov 2013 #permalink

Greg, what other cultures have a thanksgiving or equivalent? I only ever associated it with North America. (The one thanksgiving meal I attended was out of this world amazing - all home cooked right down to the chocolates, more plates than I've seen outside of an Asian banquet, some of which I'd never tasted before - and much of the food was home-grown, too. Unforgettable.)

I'm an ignorant Aussie :)

The thanksgiving banquet at the first thanksgiving was a feast. Feasts are found in many man cultures.

IN Australia the equvivilant might be the big Spinifex get together in the Victoria Desert!

Thanksgiving is the whites celebrating the fact that the American Indians had a really REALLY bad immigration policy!!

To prepare a turkey:
1. Capture turkey
2. Pet the turkey to calm him
3. Explain the inevitability of death to him
4. Blindfold the turkey
5. Chop his head off.
6. Bake at 350 degrees, 20 minutes per pound.

A shotgun eliminates steps 2 through 5 providing time to pluck the turkey, a step disraught vegetarians all\ too often omit.

Sou -- Thanksgiving is essentially a harvest feast. Pretty much every single agricultural society in the world has had some form of a harvest festival ;-)

I love the picture with this article. It made me laugh evilly. That is the best scene in the whole movie, IMHO. :-D

By Calli Arcale (not verified) on 26 Nov 2014 #permalink