Ever wonder where the term “lucky break” came from? Ever fight over the “wishbone” from the turkey or chicken? In 322 B.C. the Etruscans termed the receipt of the larger peice of the bone and it’s accompanying wish to be the “lucky break”. The Romans brought the practice to England and the English brought it with them to America.

Most of us have some kind of family traditions handed down through the generations. Some of us preface the Thanksgiving meal with everyone stating what they are thankful for. Some of us single people have been seated at the kid’s table for way too many years. That is a separate blog topic.

Some people have certain foods they always include in the menu. One of the most fascinating to me is the eating of the Turducken. I had never heard of this gastronmic phenonema until a couple of years ago. Evidently for some this has become the standard fowl fare of the holiday.  For all of you neophytes the Turducken is a chicken in a duck in a turkey. How wrong does that seem?

the turducken unveiled

the turducken unveiled

I polled my co-workers to see what family traditions they have. One of them said growing up they always had chicken instead of turkey because why buy a turkey when you can get a chicken from the yard? They were not poor people but had a frugality born in the depression years. My paternal grandmother always made pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving until she realized that nobody them.  Everyone ate the ones my Mom made. Grandma’s pies were always watery. She made three pies to a can of pumpkin while Mom made two. They were much, much better! Again, people of Grandma’s generation economized where they could.

There are many non-food related traditions. One of my co-workers gets together with the guys in the neighborhood to slave over a big pot of hot oil while they deep fry the birds for their women folk. He said they drink some brews and complain about the cold and the danger of the hot oil. Then they take their browned birds back to their respective families and enjoy a nice meal. It’s a good guy bonding experience.

 One of my co-workers and her family spend their Thanksgivings reading the holiday sale ads and prepping their black-Friday shopping excursion. It is an all out-get-the-best-deal-you-go-to-Target-I’ll-hit-Walmart campaign! Patton and his troops had nothin’ on  this group!

Another of my co-workers family always plays blackjack after dinner. It’s played for pocket change only, but it has been a long standing way to end the holiday in her family.

Many people I know spend their post meal time napping. I think the rumor about the Tryptophan in the turkey making you sleeping was started by exhausted parents hoping to get some much needed rest. Keeping those holiday traditions alive is hard work!

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