As soon as most of us hear the word “Thanksgiving,” an image of a turkey pops up into our minds. However, on Thanksgiving, there are so many other foods on the table. You have macaroni and cheese, mashed potatoes and even pie. So, why do we make the blandest and driest food on the planet the centerpiece of it all?
When I see a family member bring turkey on Thanksgiving, I am not amused. Of course, I’ll have a piece, just to be nice, but in all honesty, I hate it.
After talking to some people and getting their perspective, it seems that I’m not the only one who dislikes turkey. If a majority of people find turkey distasteful, then why is it even on our tables on Thanksgiving?
Essentially, the turkey is a useless animal as opposed to a chicken or a cow, so eating them is one way that society can enjoy their existence. So, why is turkey the centerpiece on the table during Thanksgiving? It may have been due to the influence of Abraham Lincoln. Thanksgiving was recognized as a national holiday during Lincoln’s presidency in 1863, but three years earlier, Lincoln had started the tradition with an unofficial Thanksgiving dinner that included roasted turkey. After the recognition of Thanksgiving as a national holiday, organizations across the country made sure that people had all of the necessities for celebrating Thanksgiving, which included the presence of a turkey. At the time, since Lincoln was president and turkey was his favorite meal, people across the nation would make the turkey the main course on Thanksgiving.
People in the 20th century in the U.S. loved to have turkey as a meal because turkeys were abundant and plentiful at the time. Even one of America’s founding fathers, Benjamin Franklin, thought the turkey should be the national bird. He thought it would’ve been a more appropriate national symbol than the bald eagle due to his belief of a turkey being a more “respectable bird.”
After learning a bit about the tradition of turkeys on Thanksgiving, I still think that they do not need to be on the table on Thanksgiving. Despite the American tradition of cooking the turkey, filling it with stuffing and having it sit largely in the middle of a table, it is still not delicious in any way.
The turkey is bland, dry and simply not good. I’d much rather have a heaping plate of mac and cheese than even the smallest bit of turkey on Thanksgiving. Of course, people are going to love going the traditional route, but if good taste is in the equation, turkey simply cannot be the outcome. So, to answer the question: no, turkey is not good. It is in fact just tradition.
