Turkey is one of the easiest things to prepare: you put it in the oven and take it out a few hours later, finished. Yet it seems as though it requires an occasion, so when I fixed a turkey today of course the question came up: why? Well, uh....why not? Why not a random Thanksgiving, a pretend holiday, or really no reason at all? An "Un-Birthday" like in Alice in Wonderland. Grasping for meaning in May 23, you can look at a list of things that happened today, most of which you wouldn't care to celebrate, including the capture of Joan of Arc (1430), the burning-at-stake of Giralomo Savanarola (1498), and the hanging of Captain Kidd (1701). These are things I'd like to forget! But inserted in the long list of awful things is the charming fact that in Austria the accordion was patented on this day in 1829 by Cyrill Demian and his sons Karl and Guido. Cryill had this to say about his invention:
Its appearance essentially consists of a little box with feathers of metal plates and bellows fixed to it, in such a way that it can easily be carried, and therefore traveling visitors to the country will appreciate the instrument. It is possible to perform marches, arias, melodies, even by an amateur of music with little practice...(If you're interested here is the rest of the translation of Cyrill's manuscript.)
I don't think there needs to be a reason for fixing something like turkey, but if you must have one, why not declare "Accordion Day?" Actually, don't answer that, it's a rhetorical question.
It was partly cloudy today. I think that's a good enough reason for a turkey.
ReplyDeleteI think I'll do a polka for accordion day. :)
ReplyDeleteI guess I don't cook turkey on non holidays because they are usually so large. If they could come up with smaller ones, I would do it.
ReplyDeleteWell yeah, size matters here. This was <10 lbs. Bigger than that and you have enough leftovers to choke a bear. As it is, John made turkey soup and we'll be eating turkey sandwiches for a few days. All good.
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