The Lady On Turkey Hill

Did you know that turkey is a native game bird? That Benjamin Franklin thought the turkey should have been the national symbol instead of the bald eagle? That a female turkey is called a Hen and a male turkey a Tom? And that "roughly 270 million turkeys are raised on factory farms each year ? (Mostly the same variety - the Broad Breasted White) for one sole reason - producing disproportionately large amount of white meat in as little time as possible." New York Times Op-Ed Contributor: About a Turkey by Patrick Martins..November 24, 2003 It is not a pretty article and will definitely make you think twice about what will be on your plate come Thanksgiving next week. It makes you think twice even if you go the next one level up and purchase a turkey that is labeled "free-range"or "organic" and "naturally raised" because often they have been co-opted or manipulated by big businesses and therefore cannot guarantee a more healthier or more humanely raised bird.. I say this, of course..but I eat turkey (most likely the Broad Breasted White) since this is the only variety sold through supermarkets and butcher shops..Boars Head Ovengold is a byproduct of the same kind...etc...etc...Nothing better than a beautifully compiled club sandwich with its white turkey meats..Turkey pot pie; cream of turkey soup (my favorite, if you remember)...I recall when we were living in NYC and my husband used to work in the Trump Tower building, they had this wonderful salad place downstairs that made the most mouth watering turkey salad with chunks of aged cheddar cheese and white grapes. The two of us would sometime meet for lunch, and being very economical at the time, would order one of those salads to share with a couple of french rolls. We then took our tray to a table near the giant waterfall that tumbled from the seventh floor of the atrium..and enjoyed our meal. Those were the days! As much as I enjoy turkey, we really only cook a turkey once a year at Thanksgiving. And actually, because we have spent the last five Thanksgivings in the city with my family, I haven't cooked one in years- which brings me back to the above mentioned article on turkeys which came out the same year my sister M decided to order a heritage turkey for our special meal. And when the article was published, she said "HA!"and forwarded it to each one of us siblings. Heritage turkeys are a handful of older, pre-industrial turkey varieties, still being grown today. They are slowly gaining recognition for their dark, rich, and succulent meat (more gamey) and are raised by smaller independent family farms to ensure their survival. Some varieties are the Bourbon Red, Narragansett and Jersey Buff - which have been pushed almost to the brinks of extinction because there was/is no longer a market for them. But slowly, they are gaining popularity as consumers are becoming more aware of what they eat and how they eat. It is expensive though..compare to say a Butterball Turkey which retails for around 69 cents a pound to the heritage turkeys which go for about $5 a pound. But you know..sometimes it is a case of getting what you paid for. Nothing better than the fragrance of a whole turkey roasting in the oven; a definite love potion and intoxicating delight to the senses. I love, love, love Thanksgiving; no pressure..just a quiet day to spend with your family and enjoying the bounty of food that were prepared together in harmony. That will be the mood of our home this year as my whole family have decided to come to Westport to celebrate Thanksgiving together. My sisters and their boyfriend and fiancee will train up the evening before and we will start our preparations. Our boys are filled with excitement; it is like Christmas for them..only better..the aunts and uncles are sleeping over!!!! I can't imagine how much fun we will have and how much warmth and laughter will fill our home; I'm so thrilled as well and can't wait to start food shopping. Oddly enough, the reason we are even living here in Westport, Connecticut is due to a certain lady that lived onTurkey Hill South here in town. After our oldest son was born, my husband and I decided that it was time to finally say goodbye to New York City..which I will always consider my hometown..but it was now the time to find a place to call home and raise our family there. I have always been fascinated by Westport because I am Martha Stewart's best fan. She is definitely the queen of domestication; making living a little more of a "good thing!" However, we never, in our wildest dreams,, thought we would live here one day. But amazingly, a realtor found us a very nice rental on a great little cul-de-sac with the most nicest handful of neighbors (you know who you are). We were so enthralled with Westport that we set out to search for a home to purchase within months of living here. And coincidentally, the yellow 1959 ranch on .56 of an acre that we ultimately fell in love with happened to be right down the street from where we were renting and so we were able to maintain our old friendships as well as made new ones. We were proud owners on July 1st, 2000 and plan to live here for pretty much a very, very long time. Once again, Martha Stewart, you gave us yet another inpiration, and we thank you!!!!! As I write this, I am planning the menu in my head...when it comes down to it..it is all about food...what to make and create that will fill our tummy and give us pleasure on such a wonderful and beloved holiday..I have some good ideas, but I better start working on it..Whatever meals you are serving, whatever kind of turkey you plan to roast (or deep-fry)..just remember the special memory that will come from it, of the precious hours that will be spent with loved ones enjoying a very thankful meal. Happy Thanksgiving!

Love Is ~

Many wonderful things to many people....

Love is free and good and pure. Love is kind and fun and mesmerizing. Love is sharing and caring and doing. Love is giving and laughing and being.

Love is what happens every second the day, everyday! If you let it...

My mother came to visit us today in Westport. You must understand--it is not like she is a woman of leisure; she has responsibilities up to her ears. Leaving New York City AND my father for half a day is a BIG deal!

It wasn't always like this. Back In Saigon, my mother came and went. Between charity work, taking care of us kids, taking care of her own family, and being the wife of of the president and CEO of the largest shipping company in Viet Nam, she was quite the social butterfly. If you saw a green Peugeot 504 zipping around Saigon, you'd have to take a look to see who the beautiful woman driving around in it was. Most likely, you would have seen a woman in her late 20s ( a former Miss Saigon when she was 18), in a hurry, as she dashed back and forth from one orphanage to another. That was my mother's cause; she had a huge heart for the little children that would hover around her when she made her daily visits to bring them some treats or other, spend time with them and sewing clothes for them. And in between her missions, she would also be on the prowl for my father...the most famous playboy of them all!!!!! (oh my..this does warrant more details, but I will go into it later as I have to set up more perimeters..i promise!!)

Anyway, nowadays, she is so busy and so trapped in NYC..that a trip to visit her first-born is almost miraculous, and always overdued!!!!

I used to wonder, because my mother got so very little sleep, how was she able to function in the daytime? But she does and has been doing it for the past 31 years that we have been here in America. Life is different here; "harder" as my father would say, because we have had to adapt, to change in the way we live and the way we behave. I understand this all too well now - three children later- it is and has always been, a labor of love!

Before she came up to our home this morning, she went down (in all fairness, i should say she was driven) to Chinatown and bought all the necessities that she thought we needed ~ 5 pullets, 3 young hens (they make amazing stock), roast pig, roast duck, fresh vegetables, condiments and spices and special rice flour and turmeric, fresh egg noodles, three pounds of shrimp, and of course...money for the kids. "Here you go, "she said, "take them to Toys R Us"as she handed me the bills.

My mother arrived shortly before noon and proceeded straight to my kitchen island, unpacking the large white paper boxes that contained the roast pig and a whole roast duck, grabbed a little knife, and began hacking away- popping little pieces of savory meats into our mouths (my husband, Catherine and me)as she chopped and threw bones into a big pot to get her broth going for noodle soup. It was non-stop talking, eating, cooking, laughing, and listening to my mother dish out her advice-

To me - "Spend some time on your eyebrows, you need a better arch!"

To my husband - "Don't over work in the yard, I like it clean, but don't kill yourself!"

To Catherine - "Take your time and find the right man. Don't rush!"

My mother came and went..within three hours after her arrival, she hopped back in her car and headed back to the City..leaving behind many wonderful treats for our family to enjoy in the days to come.

She loves us so much and this was the best that she could have done..her pleasure was in seeing us, especially my little baby girl- hair growing a little more at each visit- and feeding us with foods that make us happy. In the end...this is what makes her happy and keeps her spirits high until the next time.

What makes you happy?

Catherine was happy tonight too. All she got was a phone call from her love and she was happy. He was at the airport waiting to board a plane. They spoke endlessly about all the whats, hows and ifs...they spoke as he boarded and until the steward person asked him to turn his phone off. As I make this entry, she is drifting off to sleep. Tomorrow will be a big day (and I want to make a mark of it with this entry)


Sometimes life is complicated. Things are not as they seem or as they should be. But the one sure thing is that LOVE is easy! There is love and that is it! Love between people..family, friends..lovers...everything else is just details. Love is an emotion that is raw and unpasteurized...made to be consumed immediately.

Life, love, and food - the most special friendship of all; a lifetime to shape and behold. What else is there?

Homage To Homard

My second son turned five yesterday. In front of me now are some photographs of him taken three years ago; they grow so fast. We have many family birthday meal rituals; there are no limits as to how many, we just have them until the birthday celebrant runs out of his or her allotted requests. We have our own private celebrations, we may have one or two with friends; we always have one with just the whole lot of us- meaning the aunts and uncles..and sometimes the grandparents in New York City somewhere.

But tonight, my son wanted lobster. Fancy that! At the end of summer, when we found ourselves up in Maine, it was lobster everyday. And on our last day, we all boarded a lobster fishing boat that took us way out into the Atlantic to pick up traps that were placed the day before. The staff on the charter had the kids wear rubber overalls and put them to work. They learned how to measure a legal lobster(3-5/16"in carapace), how to differentiate between male and female lobsters (fishermans are asked to throw back females if they have eggs) and how the traps work (pieces of rotting fish are placed in cloth pouches which are then secured to the trap..which has escape vents to allow smaller sized lobster to eat and leave)and found out that lobster is the biggest single fishing industry in the Northeast.

Did you know that at the turn of the century until the late 40s, lobster was used primarily to feed prisoners in Maine due to its abundance? Fancy that...

That is where his lobster fix came from and needless to say, we were glad to oblige. I do the same thing to the lobsters all the time...I boil them in water that has seaweed and sea salt for about ten minutes..depending on their size. I cover our dining table in newspaper and just crack open the lobsters to enjoy. Our favorite lobster pound in Trenton, Maine boil their lobsters in water from the ocean (especially the Mt. Desert Island area)over burning wood. The aroma as you wait for your lobsters to be cooked is incredible; the anticipation insurmountable!

I remember a birthday of mine's when we had lobsters as well. I must have been about 12 years old because it was our first year living in one of my father's buildings in Times Square. Thinking back, it is hard to believe that I was that old and still so innocent. I can't recall what inspired the crustaceous meal, but it WAS a fun evening of gathering around a tiny round table...some twelve of us, and just cracking open these little lobsters (called Chix- lobsters that are usually under a 1 1/4 pound and have soft shells) and having the time of our lives; totally oblivious to anything that may have been going on at that moment in time in Times Square, or New York City, or the world.

Years later, looking back, every single one of those people..aside from my brother and sisters, are not the people that I thought they were; that our lives were so intricately entwined even then..more so now...ever uniting us in the web that we live in (i'll go into details, i promise!)

For now, it is just the happy memory of lobster and strawberry and pineapple cake in my son's head as he dozed off in his bed; exhausted, full, and exhilarated at the thought of being five at last!