Oh Gobble Gobble

Not for nothing, but we are rapidly approaching Thanksgiving and rather than fill the space with mind numbing financial talk (although the new unemployment filings are down a bit so that is good news and consumer spending is up slightly (does that include fuel and food???) the market had its worst week in three months and we are bracing for a gridlock the likes of which we have never seen.

Ben Franklin was a supporter of making the turkey the national bird. I have to tell you that there are also any number who want to do the same with the Peacock. Turkeys don't photograph well. Peacocks are,as the saying goes, "all hat but no horse" meaning that they look good but perhaps don't eat well. I'll give you music about each. You decide before you send 47 million of the birds to bite the dust to satisfy the holiday. Oh, and here are some tidbits for the table-talk after Uncle Ed tells his boyhood stories for the billionth time and someone complains that the white meat is too dry.

• Benjamin Franklin wanted the wild turkey to be the national bird of the United States instead of the bald eagle. When Jefferson won the argument, Franklin called the Turkey "Tom" - hence tom turkey  

• Male wild turkeys act much the same as peacocks when it comes to finding a mate; they puff up and spread their tail feathers to attract females.
• The turkey acquired its name by mistake; the English thought it was another bird that came from Africa through Turkey. The birds were not the same but the name stuck with the bird anyway.

Turkeys are on the prowl....

That day of days when Uncle Whoosie eats too much dark meat and falls asleep at the table...its next week and for us, not a week too soon.

We like Thanksgiving because it is a good occasion to bring a bottle of wine as a pre-meal thank you gift or to find something to grace your table at home. So we are going to start a little series here of good wines to go with Turkey.

Riesling is one choice that comes to mind. It is light and a nice combination of soft and sometimes tart. It cuts through the turkey and won't help contribute to Uncle Whoosis' premature sleep. Riesling is generally served at a cool 11 °C.  We have some in our store. In fact we have a very nice selection and they won't break the bank.
Try one this week and think about how it will go next week.  Uncle Whoosis will love it.