To commemorate Thanksgiving--and garner First Family photo ops--presidents often host Rose Garden ceremonies, where they "pardon" a turkey, before sitting down to dine on one of its cousins. In fact, Americans ate close to 50 million of these tasty birds this year. We roasted our family bird in a Big Green Egg, with bourbon and barbecue sauce on and under the skin. Lip-smacking!
Unlike their wild cousins, today's domesticated turkeys are bred for hefty portions of white and dark meat, atop legs that barely support their bodyweight. You might say they are big, bloated and unsustainable--like too many government programs that should have gotten the axe long ago.