Posted on 11/17/2006 9:43:00 AM PST by DogByte6RER
Move over, turkey
April E. Clark Post Independent Staff November 17, 2006
If Margie Garrett had her wish, she'd be having a turkey at her Thanksgiving dinner.
But this turkey wouldn't be roasted, fried or stuffed. It would be a guest.
"I'd love to invite one to dinner," said Garrett, who has worked at Good Health grocery store for 10 years. "I would love to have one as a pet turkey some day."
Each year, Garrett hosts a Thanksgiving spread that features enough food to make anyone forget about turkey. She's been a vegetarian since 1972 and, more recently, is a vegan, a lifestyle that avoids using or consuming all animal products.
"I'm telling you, by the time you finish dinner, you don't even miss the gobble gobble," she said. "I have all the trimmings."
Garrett's Thanksgiving menu includes homemade vegetarian stuffing covered with mushroom gravy, cranberries, salads, mashed potatoes, creamed peas, and baked squash stuffed with wild rice. Dessert features homemade pumpkin pie with organic whipping cream.
"People always ask me, 'Well, what do you eat?' But look at all this," she said. "The stuffing is so good when you make it from scratch."
For a turkey alternative, vegetarian-friendly stores such as Good Health sells Tofurkey, an organic, meatless tofu product that can be served alongside traditional Thanksgiving recipes. Tempe and tofu can also be substituted as Thursday's main course.
"If you're looking for a fake meat-type thing, one of the dishes I make - and I raised my family on it - is tempe or tofu diced up, sautéd in olive oil and coated with nutritional yeast on it," she said. "It makes a crispy brown coating that is almost like fried chicken."
Garrett has so many recipes for a vegetarian Thanksgiving, she doesn't even miss the leftover turkey sandwiches.
"I'm so determined for my love for the little animals, I don't miss the leftover turkey sandwiches," she said.
Being thankful doesn't require a turkey on a platter, Garret said.
"We're thankful, right, that we live in this valley," she said. "There's much to be thankful for, and it doesn't have to involve a poor little turkey."
Unless, of course, it's sitting at the kid's table enjoying a home-cooked meal.
Post Independent, Glenwood Springs Colorado CO
Your grandson sounds like my four year old. He is against killing baby animals, but not adult animals. At a recent feast I acquired a taste for lamb. When I would mention getting some he would say he doesn't eat baby animals. He realized the lamb at the store was already dead and that wasn't changing. I came back from the store saying I had thought of getting lamb chops, but had not. He said, "But, I want to eat lamb chops."
LOLL yep that sounds like Marshal punky. We think he is his Uncle Kelly reincarnated. LOL Yesterday, they were all at a "thing" and other small children were around. He and his little sister (3, who both are called the playground rapists by the mom, were each having a ball. Neither Cassie or Marshal have no strangers as far as other kids are concerned. Marshal punky was busy throwing hay on the little girls (this was at a ranch) and trying to kiss them. When one little girl ran to her dad yelling he's trying to kiss me, Marshal punky said "I just want to play. I just want to kiss you" all the while laughing gleefully (or evilly LOL) Her dad said she better hang on to him since he is so cute. Daughter said "ugh! No he isn't" I told his mom I bet she didn't run TOO fast.
Ah! It's not just the vegans. It's anyone who has crunchy tendencies. Some threads I have read I have been ready to pound my head into the desk over and over because of some of the comments.
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