Utility birds

You can rarely find them, but if you do, buy one immediately. My mother used to buy a utility turkey every Feast. Back then they were the result of reckless or calamitous slaughtering techniques, not as proficient as those of today. A butcher might wildly slash off a wing, a breast might inadvertently be hacked, a leg might thoughtlessly be removed, a rump maimed...in other words, the unfortunate bird was not "table-picture-perfect".

Speaking of primitive butchering techniques, I can remember my Grandfather Stapledon in the backyard of their house on Cartier Street, killing the squawking bird my Grandmother had bought at the Byward Market, burning the feathers off, and skinning and gutting it before turning it over to the grandchildren to pluck out reluctant and stubborn feather shafts one-by-one; our tiny fingers were perfect for the assignment. Now, that was arduous preparation! But frankly, when these home-hacked, yet sumptuous, hybrids and misfits graced our holiday gathering, no one noticed.

Peering into the freezer chest, as I schlepped through the Calgary Co-op the other day, I thought I was witnessing a perfect Christmas miracle. A turkey for $12.00!!##$%%&&!! A big one. You guessed it, it was a "utility bird". I immediately had affectionate thoughts of my mother, as I gratefully cradled and lowered it into my cart. Mum, you would have been proud of me.

"You never see them anymore because the slaughtering is so precise," the cashier said to me. "And when we get a few, that's all we get, no more. Smart that you nabbed one."

I felt as if I had won the lottery.

One more thought on Christmas. Remember I blogged about how Canadian society features other religious festivals and feasts, but has to reduce or ignore Christmas? Well, today in the Calgary Herald there was a prominent feature in the City Section about "Lighting the Menorah"..."Pre-Hanukkan event adds unorthodox touches", said the headline. As I said, Canadians are breathtakingly tolerant of other cultures and religions.

Thank God I live in Canada.