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A Turkey Preamble

Posted at 4:01 PM on November 26, 2008 by Leslie Allen (2 Comments)

Thanksgiving has never been my favorite holiday. It's stressful, we always overeat, and there are no presents to open. I much prefer Christmas where not only do you get gifts, but dinner is something more interesting than turkey. I like turkey, but given the choice I would choose a different American wildlife species to eat, like elk. Elk is nice. But, this holiday is all about the bird, and this year James and I have been invited to someone else's house for the big dinner.

When our friends invited us to Thanksgiving dinner I was a little concerned. Even though Thanksgiving is not my favorite holiday, it is the most important Locavore holiday. No other holiday gives as much importance on traditional foods as this one, and I wasn't sure I would feel right spending the most important Locavore holiday eating a Butterball turkey and CostCo pumpkin pie.

I shared my concerns with James, who was sympathetic but didn't think it was OK for me to ask our friends to serve local foods for Thanksgiving. I disagree. One of the things I've discovered about myself this year is that my choice to eat locally is an ethical choice and therefore, no different than choosing to be a vegetarian or honoring a religious custom like eating Kosher. Those eating preferences, and many others, are based on ethics; and why shouldn't eating locally be viewed the same way? I choose to eat locally because I want to support my local economy, form a relationship with local farmers and ranchers, and reduce the miles my food has traveled and the associated environmental impact.

I had actually started planning for a local Thanksgiving dinner before we received our invitation to spend it with our friends. I had placed an order for a local free range turkey from the Gray's in Gardnerville, and I knew I wanted to order the special Great Basin Basket CSA Thanksgiving Basket. This special CSA basket is in addition to my normal subscription. The Thanksgiving basket cost $180 and contains enough produce, pies, cornbread mix, jams and jellies to feed 8 people. The 28 pound turkey is $71. So for $251 we have all the fixings for Thanksgiving dinner for 8. What a bargain! There are, in fact, 10 people coming to dinner and I'm sure we'll have more than enough food.

Was it right for me to ask our friends to serve the local food I had sourced? Two of the guests are vegetarians, and we are all happily accommodating that eating preference by using vegetable stock in our soups and side dishes. I honor and respect their eating preference. Is it too much to ask that people accommodate mine?

As it turns out, it's not. Our friends are really excited to host a Locavore Thanksgiving! Our host drove 60 miles to Gardnerville to pick up the turkey, and received tips for smoking it from the farmer himself. Our CSA basket comes from Fallon, also 60 miles from Reno, and I only had to drive 8 miles to pick it up in downtown Reno. In fact, I met our hostess downtown and we divided up the ingredients on the spot. None of us have stepped one foot into a grocery store. I would say that sourcing and acquiring the fixings for our local Thanksgiving feast has been very easy and stress free. How is yours coming together?

Comments (2)

I really support your ethical choice and your leadership. I too would like to eat locally - how do I get started?

Posted by Charlotte | November 27, 2008 12:11 PM

I spend part of each year in Italy and a more Locavore nation cannot be imagined. A distance of 60 miles is another country when it comes to food. In the Veneto almost all our food comes within a few kilometers.

However, to demand certain foods as the guest of another is really just atrocious manners. People are extending their hospitality to you and you can either accept or decline. The most I could see is that you would decline their invitation and explain why and, perhaps, invite them to your home so they can understand what you are talking about.

My few relatives who eat kosher, don't have Thanksgiving with Gentiles. Your friends sound like wonderful people. Not only were they willing to try a new idea you broached with them but they didn't smack you. The end result was a great success but I think your approach was arrogant.

Posted by Jim Wagner | December 6, 2008 5:19 PM