Gobble Gobble Turkey Lurkey

I live near the Jaindl turkey farms.  Their headquarters are on Coffeetown Road, in North Whitehall Township.  The shelters where they raise the turkeys are spread out on many acres within a one mile radius of the headquarters.  My guess is that there are thousands of turkeys!  The other acreage in the area is devoted to crops to feed the turkeys.

I remember, in the spring, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the chicks that would live here and grow. They eventually did arrive and it was nice to see the shelters change color from a drab grey and brown to the same with a topping of white.  Over the summer, you could see the turkeys growing in size. Now when you look at the shelters you see mostly white.

My daughter, Emma, and I travel these roads frequently and developed a tradition of shouting “Turkey Lurkey” when the shelters first become visible.  But we both know that the turkeys’ time is growing short. Jokes about that become less funny as the time approaches.  Actually, Emma never found them that funny. I call it laughing in the face of adversity.

This morning, about 6:30 am , I was making a semi-retired jaunt to Dunkin Donuts. I saw a truck carrying cages of turkeys, hundreds of them, to their demise.  I was glad Emma wasn’t with me!  I was taken aback for just a second. I know it is that time of year.  But still, it is one of those events that make you think about going vegetarian.

I have many reasons for going vegetarian. It’s healthier. It means that I am not participating in the mass killing of animals for food.  It fits in with my Buddhist religious beliefs. But, I have been an omnivore my entire life. Growing up it was meat, potato, vegetable.  Plus, meat is just plain delicious. I’ve tried the switch before and never lasted more than a week.  I know myself. It is not going to happen.

So I have to reconcile the fact that the turkeys who looked out at me as I drove by are soon going to be on someone’s table.  I’ll tell myself that they had a good summer in the Jaindl Shelters. I am sure that they ate well.  I’ll tell myself all about the cycle of life. I’ll remind myself that humans have canine teeth for a reason.

On Thanksgiving I will eat turkey. That white meat is so delicious.  But I will say a Buddhist before meal prayer: “Thank you to those that gave their labors and their lives for this meal.”

So if any of you are driving down Coffeetown Road and wonder why, along the road, it looks like it snowed…yeah, it’s feathers.