There are over 300 million turkeys killed each year, in the US, and 65 million of them are killed for the Thanksgiving Holiday, according to GentleThanksgiving.com. As I was visiting sites that stressed the importance of going meat free this Thanksgiving, there were endless comments about how pointless it is and how people should enjoy their food, the meat on their plates. Some comments would say they support PETA (People for Eating Tasty Animals) and how trying to change tradition will not get any followers. This got me thinking, why are people so set in their ways? What's so good about a dried out 20 pound turkey, anyways? I personally look forward to the sweet potatoes and apple pie. If the word 'tofurky' is even mentioned, people shutter like its a disease. You can't even look up 'Thanksgiving' on the internet without getting a picture of a cooked turkey. Benjamin Franklin even wanted the turkey to be our national bird but the eagle won that competition. There are countless vegan holiday recipes which could satisfy everyone but people still insist on going out and buying a turkey. Do you think this 'tradition' will ever end?
My question to you is: What's so bad about tofurcky? What's it going to take for Americans to realize Thanksgiving is not about the 20 pound bird in the middle of the table but more about bringing family together? It's still Thanksgiving even if there isn't a turkey.
“…and how trying to change tradition will not get any followers.” It’s ironic that persons who examine tradition and custom are somehow viewed as outsiders or preachers – persons who adhere to traditional practices are followers, not the other way around. Some people are so dug in their trenches that self-examination may seem an alien concept.
ReplyDeleteAnd, tofurky is delicious, but evidently most Americans are content ‘stuffing’ real turkeys that lived a short miserable life. Perhaps ‘they’ are their own sin-eaters. I sponsor two turkeys a year (for the turkeys) but it helps also to counter the negative energy perpetuated by the masses.