Let's talk turkey

I was recently invited to a friend's home for Thanksgiving dinner. Since I could not be with my family, I eagerly agreed. As we sat in the living room waiting for dinner, I could not wait for my favorite dish - the stuffing. As my hostess was taking the turkey out of the oven, of course I volunteered to help hoping to get the first crusty bites of stuffing. The turkey was out of the oven and I said "Where is the bowl for the stuffing?" I was shocked and dismayed to hear, "Oh the stuffing is still in the oven". How could this be??? I said, "The stuffing is not in the turkey?" A collective gasp went out from the gathered guests. "You can't put stuffing in a turkey - it isn't safe" was the reply.

Are you kidding me? Apparently the USDA or FDA or some oversized government agency has decided and published articles and warnings to terrify the American public that putting stuffing in a turkey is "potentially dangerous". Some nonsense about possible bacteria. What has happened to tradition? The stuffing has been IN the turkey since the pilgrims. What has happened to common sense? Where did this propaganda originate? Was it the West Coast alfalfa lovers who lobbied to have the stuffing taken out of the turkey? Or the East Coast liberals that decided government does not have their fingers in enough pies and that the American public needs government to tell us what and how to eat? When is enough enough?

Grandma Allen (the impetus for this blog) would turn over in her grave. While she was a survivor of the Depression and possibly the originator of Stone soup (boiling water and a potato CAN be a meal in desperate times), she was also a wonderful cook. She cooked like an American. The grease from bacon was considered valuable and to be saved! Her crescent rolls were made with lots of butter. And no sane person ever turned down one of her crescent rolls. Eggs were a hearty breakfast and it was never necessary to limit the number consumed. She and others from her generation lived well into their 80's and 90's.

So when did we as Americans decide to turn our diets over to the government? When did we lose our ability to make our own choices? When did we stop to think for ourselves? And for the love of God, when did we decide to let them tell us to take the stuffing out of the turkey????