The Good, The Better & The Ugly

Not all turkeys are this pretty. Some look better than others. Some taste better than others. A few thanksgivings back, Echotig cooked an ugly turkey. It was pale. It looked undercooked. To add insult to injury it had a large piece of torn skin across the breast, where the cooking bag stuck to it.

Echo is a good cook. She takes pride in the turkeys she cooks for thanksgiving. She took this way too hard. My cousin popped off and said it was ugly. He pops of a lot so nobody really paid attention, except Echo. She was hurt. Nobody wanted to eat her turkey.

There were many at this gathering. And there were four turkeys. It was a beautiful sight. My cousin Mike led us in prayer, then we lined up at the tables to fix our plates. My father took his place cutting the ugly turkey. I of course was going to eat nothing else. We were determined to make Echo feel better. Only three partook of this bird: Dad, Echo and Me. Nobody else wanted the ugly turkey.

Only three ate of the bird. Only three finished the whole thing. You see we have not been able to replicate this. This was one of those rare amazing accidents. This was indeed the best turkey I have ever tasted. On my first bite, I started to extol the natural wonder that was the ugly turkey. My father put his hand over my mouth and gave me the shut up look. The three of us ate with a feeling of mischief. Echo even told someone that it was no good. Normally I save a lot of room for desert. Not this year.

For many reasons, that will always be my favorite thanksgiving. And I will never neglect to sample the ugly turkeys.