Wednesday Thoughts

America's national bird is the bald eagle. Personally I've never been that into the bald eagle. First of all, they're scary looking, and secondly, they're scarce (which isn't a bad thing considering my first point). But I suppose I don't mind having it as a national bird since it has little to no impact on me, personally. Benjamin Franklin thought the national bird should be the turkey. He criticized the eagle for having "bad moral character," and being lazy and weak, whereas he said the turkey, "though a little vain and silly," is a "bird of courage" who "would not hesitate to attack" an enemy invading his territory. He forgot to mention the fact that it says, "gobble gobble" which is also a very American ideal. (Gobbling, that is.)

Not only is the turkey brave and fierce, but let's be honest, it's delicious. The turkey is present in most American homes at least once a year on Thanksgiving.Turkeys and Thanksgiving go together like (insert something that goes together). What other animal can claim to be the centerpiece of any other holiday? I guess for the Fourth of July we eat a lot of hot dogs, but those come from lots of animals (among other things), so we can't give any one animal credit for the hot dog.

But I digress. This year for Thanksgiving I am in charge of the green bean casserole, and I'm taking that responsibility very seriously. Sort of like when Chandler was in charge of making the cranberries on Friends (anyone remember that)? Green bean casserole is one of my favorite dishes for Thanksgiving. Along with mashed potatoes and the aforementioned turkey.Oh, and gravy of course. For dessert, my mom always brings her famous dessert, "Oreo Delight" which the crowds go mad for, myself included. What is your favorite Thanksgiving food? What are you cooking this year?

I love Thanksgiving. I love that we have a holiday that focuses on gratitude, and counting our blessings. It kinda makes me sad that Thanksgiving gets so overlooked (it seems to me, anyway). Especially with many stores opening their doors at midnight on Thanksgiving night for Black Friday. I don't love that. Though I suppose it was inevitable. But I do love that I'll be spending so much time with my family and enjoying an extra long weekend. And gobbling up lots of delicious food!

Turkey for National Bird, 2012!

Happy Wednesday.