A nicely cooked Thanksgiving turkey. Photo courtesy of freshman Irelynn Zurbach.

  Students at San Luis Obispo High School have eaten the famous poultry every year for Thanksgiving. Turkey has been eaten alongside seafood, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and anything else bought from the grocery store or harvested in our own farms or gardens.

  “You can’t fix what’s broken,” said junior Alexander Durrant.

  Throughout the years as humans have expanded their taste buds, turkey has become dry. Now it’s the seasoning carrying it to the menu every year.

   Turkey is lucky to be on the menu as the majority of people seem to enjoy nicer things such as mashed potatoes, homemade bread rolls, and even ham. Why might turkey be on the table every Thanksgiving to begin with? 

  In 1621, Turkeys were the choice as the main dish for the Pilgrims because of the abundance of edible wild turkey in New England. Now it’s 2024, 403 years later, and we’re still eating Turkey; however they’re now just being bred and slaughtered in industrial farms to keep up with the traditions.

  If we can’t have turkey though, what could possibly be a substitute?

  “If people bring turkey I would use it, but if I was hosting it, I’d make a big meaty ham,” said freshman Charlie Gillmore.

  Turkey usually takes a lot of preparation and if not cooked right might taste bad and could even get you sick. Turkey also can’t be left out too long, only for about two hours at room temperature.

  “Ham is kind of weird for Thanksgiving… Turkey is like the classic, it’s been like the beginning of days,” said freshman Megan Elcer.

  Turkey is said to be just a classic, which is why we should keep it, just for traditional values.

  There may be some who like turkey just for the sake of tradition, just to keep impressing the dead, while others are out there and making a change this Thanksgiving, making everything more flavorful and diverse. 

  If you truly care about keeping turkey on the menu, then maybe next year, think of the farms built just to slaughter turkey for your own little holiday.

Sources: today.tamu.edu, chefsvisionknives.com