Today my friend Holly and I went to the open air market downtown to buy my Thanksgiving turkey (because of course I have too many scruples with buying the Butterball turkeys shipped in from the States). This market is almost impossible to describe, but there are blocks and blocks and blocks of produce stands and tiny open-front stores with dry goods and everything imaginable. We picked our way through mud and traffic and people, Abigail strapped to my back in an Ergo to keep her out of the yucky stuff, to the poultry area and found some turkeys in a cage.We examined them as they strutted, large as life, around their cage and I pointed to one and said, "I'll take that big one" (that's not exactly how it went, it was in Spanish and my friend was helping and I did have to make sure that I wasn't going to have to carry the living turkey myself to the place of slaughter and find out the butcher's fee--50 cents--but I'm keeping the dramatic flow going). I got the seller to pose for a picture with me and Abigail, and I must mention that Abigail was awed by these proceedings. He walked it around the corner to the butcher's, tied it's feet together and hung it from the scale, and then collected the money for it. Then we shook hands and he left.
I will not even try to explain what it was like in the butcher's room, except to say that the butcher was amazingly efficient (he butchered a chicken and our turkey in about 15 minutes) and at one point I had to avoid stepping on a chicken head. I will also add that whatever loud machine strips all of the feathers off is quite alarming. They handed me my turkey in a thin bag that barely covered the bird and I had to get two more bags to be able to carry it with no bird parts sticking out.
However you are getting your turkey this year, unless you shoot it yourself, I imagine it may be a far less colorful experience. Wish you could have been there! :)
Happy Thanksgiving!
