Friday, November 23, 2012

The Dark Side - literally

Whew, well that was a fun Thanksgiving, but now it's time to get back on track with some healthy eating today. Just kidding, I could never get back on track since I was never there in the first place. I do find it hilarious though how some people seem to think eating dessert on Thanksgiving is exciting and unusual and special, since it's something they never do. I'm pretty sure these people will have regrets on their death beds. I actually think yesterday was a healthier day for me than most, since I enjoyed some apple crisp for dessert. It had apples, ergo, healthy.

As I explained yesterday, I was a little nervous since Eric and I were going to spend Thanksgiving with virtual strangers.

You can see the apprehension of a looming social situation.
I had no need to worry, it couldn't have gone better. The family welcomed us with open arms, explained their inside jokes to us, and we all got along great. They had a similar sense of humor, meaning they laughed at That's What She Said jokes, rather than looking confused or offended. A match made in Heaven. 

Eric was pretty excited because deep fried turkey was on the menu. He'd never had it, but had always wanted to try it.


 You can't tell, but the bottom of the fryer was covered in bacon before the turkey went in. When I saw that, I decided I wanted to try it too.


I'm pretty sure the last time I had turkey on Thanksgiving (or any meat) was when I was 13. More recently, I've been shying away from the term "vegetarian", because it conjures up images of psychos throwing red paint on people coming out of steakhouses. I really want people to be clear on my reasons for not eating meat - it was in no way a moral or ethical stance. Everyone has foods they don't like for whatever reason, and meat was mine. I found the texture off-putting. My forays into the world of meat have had mixed results - bacon worked out fine, as long as it was crispy and in no way resembled dead pig. Sausage links and a cheese steak in Philly were spit out in disgust. Since poultry was the reason I went off meat in the first place, I was nervous, especially since I didn't want to offend our hosts. 


I took a tiny piece each of white meat and dark meat when the platter came around.


The verdict? Incredible. I couldn't believe how tasty and not gross it was. I preferred the dark meat, but I'm sure we all saw that one coming. I had a few more bites when the platter came around for seconds. Eric loved it so much that now all he wants for Christmas is deep fried turkey, so there's a good chance he'll find a fryer under the tree and we'll both get to repeat this delicious experience. 

In less exciting news, I also tried white port, and that was fantastic too. 

We had so much fun that we didn't get home until nearly midnight, so no Black Friday shopping here. I would have gone, because I do love it, but once again, I'm repeating the same sad story: I have no gift ideas (other than a deep fryer for Eric) and Black Friday isn't exactly the time to browse. I'll still get to participate though, because I'm off to work in a few minutes.

I honestly feel there could be a burger in my future. Any recommendations?

What was the best thing you ate this Thanksgiving? Anyone getting "back on track" today?

11 comments:

  1. Burger with tomato and avocado and any and all kinds of cheese you can find. Do it now.

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  2. Turkey burger with hummus and red cabbage. Do it.

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  3. I'm like you with meat. I make sure to tell people that sometimes I will eat it. I get scared when people say I'm a vegetarian because I know I can't live up to that label. I only gave up meat like 4 months ago but it's for similar reasons for you. I hate the texture. I do also hate meat because it's not good for you though too....BUT I've made a mistake and eaten meat twice on accident. It was on pizza and I was under the influence of alcohol. BUT I also had a little bit of Turkey yesterday too. It was delicious and I don't regret it. I have all my life hated ground up meat. If I had a burger in my hand, I pretty much grossed every person out around me because I pick through my burger and pick out the gross fat pieces.

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  4. ha! I was just going to do a post about this topic. I had a little turkey, yesterday, and it was very tasty. It must've been smothered in enough cranberries, tho, b/c when I attempted a 2nd piece, the turkey-ness of the taste made me gag.
    Sounds like a very happy holiday was had by all.
    and, in my experience, turkey burger texture is way more off-putting than ground red meat...

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  5. You people are funny ;) I love meat, my DNA must be much more carnivorous. Bacon cheeseburgers are so good, but I hardly ever eat them for obvious reasons. Glad you had a great turkey day and enjoyed some bird!

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  6. ha ha...back on track. right. i am sipping a green smoothie right now for no other reason than spinach's magical healing antioxidants after my long run this morning.

    the best thing i ate yesterday was my MIL's mashed potatoes. cream, butter, whole milk...to die for.


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  7. "I preferred dark meat,but I'm sure we all saw that coming." Literally made me laugh while sitting here with my mom and Will so I then had to read it to them, following that up with a subsequent explanation of what I was reading and who you are....considering I've never met you, that was a slightly awkward moment. Regardless, way to go :)

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  8. I ate so many things saturated in butter the last two days that I'm definitely looking forward to a salad. I'm not a fan of much meat either but burger's are great after a race!

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  9. I love Max and Erma's burgers, but most people swear by Red Robin. And yes, dark meat is far superior to white meat.

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  10. I tried dark meat (the turkey, of course) this year for the first time in years and you're right, it's delicious!

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  11. Maybe I should stop telling people I'm a vegetarian, too, and just not eat meat. This could work. I'm not a fan of being associated with those crazies.

    Mike's family deep fries a turkey every year. They have three turkeys. It's insane.

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Thanks for commenting! Comments make me probably more happy than they should.