It’s late November, so in honor of the annual tryptophan trip here’s a Pretzel Logic treasure trove of turkey trivia and other tidbits.
Couldn’t This Guy Get Anything Right?
According to one web site, the origin of the word ‘turkey’ started with ‘Christopher Columbus who thought that the land he discovered was connected to India, and believed the bird he discovered (the turkey) was a type of peacock. He therefore called it ‘tuka,’ which is ‘peacock’ in Tamil, an Indian language.’
Turns Out He Kinda Sorta Did
The peacock is defined as ‘a type of large pheasant,’ and it turns out that the turkey is a type of pheasant as well.
The Origin Of The Butterball
Penoscrotal webbing, where a web of skin connects the scrotum to the underside of the penis, is called a ‘turkey neck.’
A Tom Turkey Could Give Turkey Head By Gobbling A Turkey Neck
Only male turkeys, known as ‘toms,’ gobble. So wouldn’t it have made more sense to call them ‘johns’ instead?
Queer Eye For The Turkey Guy
Do they call gay male turkeys ‘thoms?’
Turkeys Swallow
Turkeys can drown if they look up when it is raining.
Talking Turkey
While in English we say that turkeys go ‘gobble, gobble, gobble,’ in Portuguese turkeys go ‘Glugluglugluglu.’
But What Sound Do They Make In Portuguese?
According to the web site I mentioned a few items ago, the word ‘turkey’ originated from the ‘simple fact’ that ‘when a turkey is scared, it makes a ‘turk, turk, turk’ noise.’
You Are What You Eat – Part One
The Apache Indians considered the turkey timid and wouldn’t eat it or use its feathers on their arrows.
That’s A Helluva Lot Of Leftovers
In Mexico, the turkey was considered a sacrificial bird. As an article of tribute Montezuma received 365,000 turkeys per year from his subjects.
They Were Still Getting Rid Of The Leftovers Sent Over To Them By Montezuma
After the first Thanksgiving in 1621, the holiday was not celebrated on an annual basis until 1863 when Abraham Lincoln set aside the last Thursday in November ‘as a day for national thanksgiving and prayer.’
You Just Escape Those Damn Leftovers
When U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin sat down to eat their first meal on the moon in their historic 1969 voyage, their foil food packets contained roasted turkey and all the trimmings.
You Are What You Eat – Part Two
Californians are the biggest turkey eaters in the country.
Turn The Other Ten Percent Over To The Department Of Homeland Security
Ninety percent of American homes eat turkey on Thanksgiving.
Maybe Ben Had A Premonition That George W. Bush Would Be President One Day
Benjamin Franklin argued that the turkey, and not the bald eagle, should have been the symbol of the United States of America.
Turkey: The Official Poultry Of Little Jim’s
The meat of old, large male turkeys is better to eat than that of young toms, which is stringy.
Do They Wear Their Feathers In A Mullet?
The opposite is true for females, where old hens are tougher birds.
His Name Is Tom
Do lesbian couples who are raising their own children invite the turkey baster over for Thanksgiving dinner?
There’s Something In This Gravy That Tastes Soooooo Familiar
I hope those same lesbian couples have two turkey basters, by the way.
If you’ll just be thankful when the holidays are over you can e-mail me at PretzelLogicDave@aol.com and tell me all about it.