The History Channel has a fascinating little TV program on Monday nights called “Modern Marvels.” It typically takes the viewer through the manufacturing process of something, from bridges to bubble gum. Very interesting, if you have a modern kind of mind for such shows.
A few nights ago, Big Bore and I hunkered down to learn all about turkey processing, which was, indeed, marvelous!!
A few nights ago, Big Bore and I hunkered down to learn all about turkey processing, which was, indeed, marvelous!!
For an hour, we were shown how turkeys get to our tables on Thanksgiving Day…all the way from hatchery egg to serving platter. The eggs, of course, are much larger than a chicken egg, light brown and speckled, and always have two or more yolks. It takes cute little turkey chicks about 8-12 weeks in a crammed cage to become fat enough to reach Butterball status. Then it’s off to the processing plant (gulp!) where they are “humanely killed,” according to the narrator.
“Oxymoron!” announced Big Bore. Living with a retired English teacher has, scarily, started to rub off on him.
“Yeah, that’s an oxymoron if I ever heard one,” I said.
Now, the narrator guy never went into detail exactly how the turkeys are “humanely killed,” but the rest of the processing procedure was blow-by-blow. Eight hours a day of ripping out bird innards is certainly not my idea of fun. As the saying goes, though: “It’s a dirty job but someone’s gotta do it.” Besides, it pays better than teaching.
Still, I’ve decided that The History Channel taught me one important lesson, if nothing else: on this Thanksgiving Day of 2008 I am definitely very thankful for never being made to work the assembly line at a turkey processing plant.
Gobble, gobble. Enjoy your turkey dinner!
3 comments:
I wonder how they do it so humanely? A shot of morphine to help ease the pain. ha ha.
Have a happy Thanksgiving. Now I will sit at the table and look our little bird and feel sad. Thanks Nancy. (just kidding)
Hmm... I need to watch this show! Interesting!
When I saw B.B.'s comment I thought, "wow, they are meant for eachother!" Then, you noted you're wearing off on him... too funny! New grammar skills ain't never hurt nobody ;)
Have you never wandered inside the turkey farm that used to be North of Fredonia?? The soybeans killed to make Tofurkey are all humanly killed. Every last little one of them. Unless you think plants scream as they are pulled and smashed?? Since my daughter in law left at 8:30 am and my son arrived at 2:30 pm, I got to tell them both they missed Thanksgiving and have a Hot Pocket, veggie of course, by myself. The grandgirls and I did make turkeys out of potatoes and their handprints for tails later. My son has requested the standard green bean casserole tomorrow but I bet the Campbell's Cream of Celery soup was humanly killed also. I do know how the Bureau of Land Mangement "humanely" kills the wild mustangs here and it is not pretty. Oxymoron, isn't that a little like BS??
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