A Service in the Common House at Plimouth Plantation, 1621
From Pilgrim Hall Museum, Plymouth MA
Here's wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.
P.S.
The day a Jesuit visited Plimouth for a Friday fish dinner...
and
St Thomas Aquinas weighs in on...
WHETHER IT IS FITTING TO BRINE THE BIRD BEFORE THE THANSKGIVING FEAST?
We proceed with the first article:-
Objection 1: It would seem better to ensure moisture and flavor by stuffing it under the skin with butter, herbs and spices.
Objection 2: It would seem better to roast the turkey at a steady low heat or at high heat and then low heat, or other temperature combinations;
I answer that: The best tenderness and moisture is achieved by soaking it overnight in a seasoned saltwater solution before cooking.
11 comments:
Nice pics! Happy Thanksgiving, Jeff :-)
Ha ha! I should send you my personal addendum to the secunda secundae, "Is it fitting for someone to drink beer?"
Not to stress a point, but on this Thanksgiving Holiday of 2007, I'd like to gaze back for a moment at our Pilgrim forefathers sharing a meal with the Native Americans.
This passage comes from Mourt's Relation: A Journal of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, 1622, Part II.
"At this town of Massasoit's where we before ate, we were again refreshed with a little fish; and bought about a handful of meal of their parched corn, which was very precious at that time of the year. . . . when we drank, we ate each a spoonful of it with a pipe of tobacco, instead of other victuals. . . . One of the savages had shot a shad in the water, and a small SQUIRREL as big as a rat, called a neuxis; the one half of either he gave us."
Oh, and HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Thanks guys, same to you.
Crystal, what did you think of the Jesuit's purpose in coming to talk to the Calvinists down in Plymouth?
He was sent by the Governor of Canada (then a French territory) to ask the New England colonies for their assistance in subduing the hostile Iroquois.
Ah, typical 17th century Jebbie mission. ;-) Those were the days! They were so... Jesuitical.
Friar Charles,
I should send you my personal addendum to the secunda secundae, "Is it fitting for someone to drink beer?"
Ha. Please do. Hmm. Let me guess how he came down on that... If we know Tommy like we know Tommy...
William,
I'm not a bit surprised. We have a long and distinguished tradition of "varmint hunting" here in the Commonwealth. You can just ask our distinguished former governor, Mitt Romney.
Squirrel! It's not just for breakfast anymore... When I pick up the kids at noon today, I wonder if I can find a place that will do up a nice squirrel caesar wrap?
Happy Thanksgiving to you, too!
Not doing much...there's a squash/sausage pasta thing I may make. Not a huge fan of turkey.
Happy Thanksgiving to you, Jeff.
Aquinas was so cool. He knew about turkeys two hundred years before anyone else in Europe knew they existed.
'The day a Jesuit visited Plimouth for a Friday fish dinner...' - I thought/expected that would be a joke of some sorts :) I bet we could make it into a joke though....
Hi Garpu,
Thanks. Hope you guys had a great day. A squash/sausage/pasta combination? Sounds fascinating. What do you call that dish?
Liam,
Amazing, isn't it? I like it much better than his description of how someone's goose gets cooked.
Hi Steve,
How about: The Jesuits, as always, lead the way on ecumenism...
"We know that you guys think that the Pope is the antichrist and a man of perdition, and that our positions on grace and justification are irreconcilabe, but would you mind helping us take out these troublesome Iroquois?"
As an early attempt, it needed some work...
Here's the recipe. Got too lazy to make it yesterday, so I'll probably make it today.
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