Remembrance of Turkeys Past

BY Emily Kaiser | POSTED NOVEMBER 21, 2007 AT 4:53PM EST

As I ponder whether to make a Thanksgiving dinner for folks in their 20s, 40s or 60s, or just do it all-ages, Tex-Mex style, I started to laugh at how much, at least in my family, the choice of bird has proven a surprisingly accurate bellwether for food trends. Chez Kaiser we don't like to think of ourselves as fad-followers, but with turkeys, at least, we definitely have been. In the 1970's we considered ourselves cutting-edge when we splurged on a fresh bird, instead of economizing with a frozen one. In the 80s we tried a Butterball once, and one year my uncle microwaved it. In the 1990s we tried organic, free-range and kosher birds, and of course brined a few before wearying of the saltiness of the gravy. This year the big choice is between one of two local pastured-poultry farms. Whether or not your choice of bird is as fashion-conscious as ours has been, I hope your turkey is delicious, and the holiday a happy one.

Remembrance of Turkeys Past

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