Espantos #382

The New York Times' video Thanksgiving by the numbers is quite telling:

- Americans will eat 46 million turkeys this year

- 50 million will watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade

- 70 million will watch football

- 276 million will eat turkey, 15% will buy it fresh, 85% frozen

- 2,000 fires are predicted as a result of all the turkey cooking resulting in $21 million in damages

- 254 million turkeys were raised in the US last year, in addition to 768 million lbs of cranberries, 47 billion lbs of potatoes, 1.9 billion lbs of green beans, and 1.1 billion lbs of pumpkin

- Americans will cook 736 million lbs of turkey (70% white meat, 30% dark), averaging a cost of $1.36 per lb

- The average cost of a 10-person meal (including all of the above ingredients and more) is $49.04, that is 40¢ below last year's estimate

- It's been 392 years since the first Thanksgiving in Plymouth and 150 since President Lincoln declared it as a national holiday

- This year's Thanksgiving coincides with the first day of Hanukkah, which will not happen in another 57 years

- 43.4 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving

On a personal note, I had no idea there was white and dark turkey meat but I am looking forward to the coming weeks since all fresh turkeys that were not sold will be cut up in cutlets which are otherwise very hard to find in supermarkets all year round... Americans don't really eat turkey other than on Thanksgiving and maybe Christmas. Though I'll be eating my Thanksgiving dinner (rather late lunch... I'll be there at 4, perhaps to start eating at 5.30pm) with friends* today, all I have contributed to the consumption paraphernalia described above, in terms of purchases, was a pumpkin pie. My favorite!

What else is left to say? Happy Thanksgiving & (this year only) Happy Hanukkah!
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*Friends are the family we can choose; the other family we inherit... so true. THANKS!