You’re so adopted all the time

Everyone, please meet Blossom, my adopted turkey. Blossom, everyone.

Isn't she a cutie?!

I know most of you won’t like my blog topic today but, I’m so happy, I have to share. I adopted a turkey! As a vegetarian, I’m always kind of like the Grinch Who Stole Thanksgiving. For the past fourteen years, I’ve found it annoying that Thanksgiving, a day of sharing and togetherness, somehow becomes Turkey Day. You thaw it for days ahead of time, it takes up the oven for hours so you can’t bake other, animal-friendly dishes, the family salivates in carnivorous anticipation, and the whole meal hinges on when the bird is done. It’s very hegemonic. What about the equality of the entrees? No justice for the green beans, no peace for the yams!

But more than annoyance with the bird-centric holiday, I find it sad for the turkeys. As it says at the Adopt-A-Turkey site: “Like all animals, turkeys experience pain and suffering, yet they are specifically excluded from state and federal animal protection laws. As a result, turkeys are subjected to intolerable cruelty at factory farms and slaughterhouses across the United States.” (Click here for more horrifying statistics on the turkey industry--like debeaking and detoeing.)

So the adopt-a-turkey program saves thousands of turkeys from the slaughterhouse, and enables them to be adopted into homes, or taken care of on the Farm Sanctuary (where Blossom is—if our landlord won’t let us have a puppy, I’m pretty certain it’s a no on the turkey pet). In turkey-eaters defense, I’m sure there are non-tortured birds for sale as well, and Brian did buy a small organic turkey for his family, which is at least a step in the right direction. Still, I think this will be the first Thanksgiving I’ll feel a little at ease. While I’ll have to look at the cooked friend on the table, at least I’ll know little Blossom is healthy and roaming free!