Manufacturing Content

Turkey for Thanksgiving

You know, I’ve never properly had a Thanksgiving turkey dinner.  Sure, there have been close calls such as Pietro’s noble attempt at student cooking in ’05, which will be forever known as the “pureed potatoes incident”. 

Not that I’m complaining, mind you. 

Thanksgiving dinner in my childhood home was always a culinary adventure, and I would inevitable show up to school on Tuesday morning with envy-inspiring stories of “duck a l’orange” or “braised lamb”, owing to the fact that a) we were a family of four, and cooking a whole turkey would mean eating leftover turkey for weeks and b) my dad’s a Swiss chef, and “turkey and gravy with all the fixins” is just not in his repertoire. 

I merely bring it up as a moderately clever segue into the best Turkey experience ever.  In fact, even the Thanksgiving part is merely incidental.  What I’m really trying to say here is that the best Thanksgiving turkey ever was actually honeymoon in Turkey. 

Dinner on said occasion was chicken, stuffed peppers, tuna casserole, salad, and a variety of melons for desert, prepared by the crew of our Turkish Mediterranean cruise, enjoyed in the company of two other Canadian couples, and one Turkish economist.  Over delicious Effes beers, we gave thanks to being on a sunny boat cruise instead of in the rainy fall of Canada, then we probably talked politics for a few hours before falling asleep to the gentle rocking of the boat on the calmest, clearest water in the world.

I had visited Turkey before, at the tail-end of my “Finding Myself European Tour 2001”.  At 5 am this morning, when jet-lag woke me up, I re-read my old travel-journal entries from my time in Turkey.  It’s incredible how much a country can change in seven years. 

But equally incredible is how much a person can change.  And for that, for finding my wife, and finding new strengths in myself through her, I am thankful.

D.

How to cure a summer cold

Step one: Antibacterial system overload
The more foreign substances you ingest, the stronger your immune system will be against the onslaught of the common cold.  Suggested substances include, but are not limited to: beer, wine, and Pas Slush.  Dosages vary upon time of day and proximity to more of the selected substance.  As a general rule, with a higher alcohol content the antibiotic properties increase, so seek out that forgotten bottle tequila in the back of the cupboard if the cold is particularly nasty.

Step two: O2 cleansing
Spend as much time as possible outside, preferably in proximity to water, sand, canoes, badminton sets, watermelons, and a good book.  A day at the beach is a perfect way to maximize the O2 levels, while minimizing stress, car exhaust, and tempting nearby fast food.

Step three: Nutrient influx and chemical reduction (combined)
A diet of organic, locally grown produce, mixed with whatever else happens to be available in your house, create a perfect influx of nutrients and reduction of chemical by-products.  Suggestions: locally grown broccoli with Cheese-Whiz, homemade cupcakes with super-rich icing, and eating red swiss chard raw with sugar because you thought it was rhubarb.

Step four: A good night’s sleep
‘Nuff said.

D.