Meh, I just ask if they were good sportsmen and used bows, if they thanked the deer for giving them their food, and if they plan on using the entire thing (friend of mine is rather talented at stuff like tanning hide and all...may talk to them about the vellum process I learned in Medieval Studies if I ever see them) or if they were lazy disrespectful folk using those easy weapons.

I wish that was what my family talked about. Grandparents are rather fixated on talking about (dad gum Muslims, Blacks, Gays, Indians, Amerindians, Democrats, etc.) around here. That, and Grandfather distorting family history to suit his views.

Er, Law...there is nothing 'disrespectful' about those easy weapons. In fact a bow is most likely more disrespectful. Firearms are generally a much quicker and clean kill. An arrow might seem more majestic and requiring more skill, but it is incredibly painful and takes a lot longer to kill, the animal has to bleed out. It's even worse for them if the shot misses and does not strike the heart or another vital organ. Sometimes they get away entirely, and die a very slow agonizing death over the course of several hours or days.

I don't agree with hunting in today's modern era unless it's a legitimate off the grid or survival thing (I have been to too many deer camps and piles of unused deer carcasses, let me tell you how nightmarish it is to be thrown in to one), but if you're going to kill a poor bastard, do it quickly and cleanly.

That sentiment certainly wouldn't go over well up here. There's more to hunting than what weapon you use. While I imagine this isn't all true, the general attitude up here is that bow users are the yuppies of hunters that sit in their tree-stand with a cup of coffee and wait for something to wander by or follow the lure they put down. Meanwhile, the big-game hunters are up at dawn, tracking animals over mountains and across rivers etc, and waiting for the right moment to shoot (and 99.9% of the time you only get one shot). Then you need to process the carcass and get as much meat and such as you can and high-tail it out of there before the bears show up to claim what's left. (I'm not a hunter myself, this is what I hear.) What makes someone a hunter is more how they go about it than what weapon they choose.

Back to Thanksgiving...

Alternate meals we've had have been Taco Pizza, and swapping out the turkey for turkey burgers. I had intended to make an easy dinner with my sister, but she figured may as well have all the rest of it, too, so we had dressing, candied yams, cranberry sauce, and some kind of Jewish loaf that I forget the name of.

(Apology)



Taco pizza sounds interesting. Is salsa paste involved?

Yeah, hunting in an area where the animal can't escape, or just shooting things for fun is not considered "real" hunting up here.


Salsa, yes. Basically just a pizza, but with salsa mixed in with the sauce, cheddar cheese, taco meat, and then serve with shredded lettuce, sour cream, etc. on the side.

Our turkey isn't cooking right.
The top is cooked moist/a little dry.
The bottom is still pink and uncooked. To have it cook longer will make the good part dry.
Blaah. Damm turkeys not cooking right.

You should have had me come cook it for you!

I make the best turkey, and turkey gravy.

I will take before and after pics!

Sounds like you needed to put the turkey lower in the oven.

My dad swears by the Alton Brown method. You can probably find it online somewhere. Pretty reliable.

there's my turkey!

i love the alton brown method but my motherinlaw 'treated' us this year since i cool all the meals, sadly it was all from a grocer, they charged 80usd for chemically tasting food and the pecan pie made me throw up x_____x

I want to inject flavoring into the turkey and come up with awesome concoctions.

I always wanted to make a dumpster turkey as well....

No idea what a "dumpster" turkey would be.

We did deep fry one, one year. It was good. Kind of scary to cook, though.

dont people lose fingers? XD i've always stuffed the skin and baked it regular when i do birds(though a tom is a lot bigger than a hen for sure)