I have to agree with Paul Krugman on why Matthew Yglesias is wrong about our supposed hating of turkey.
M.Y.
in 2012, we produced a staggering 49.5 billion pounds of chicken meat worth an aggregate of $24.8 billion.
By contrast, we raised a paltry 7.3 billion pounds of turkey worth just $5 billion.
If everybody likes turkey so much, then why aren't you buying any?
P.K.
The key advantage chicken has over turkey isn’t taste, it’s convenience. A chicken is the right size for easy consumption: a leg or breast is comfortably sized as a one-person portion, a cut-up chicken fits easily in a broiling pan. A small chicken fits in an electric rotisserie, where you can leave it for an hour while doing other stuff (which is one of our standby meals) Turkeys, on the other hand, are huge — and so are their parts. So making a meal out of turkey requires special effort — e.g., on Thanksgiving.
When the two kinds of fowl come in equally convenient form, turkey clearly dominates.Turkey burgers are way better than chicken burgers.
Other examples include deli sliced turkey breast, turkey meatloaf, turkey meatballs and turkey breakfast sausage. What I've never been able to understand is chicken sausage. Why? Why? Why chicken sausage and not turkey sausage for those avoiding swine?
[cross posted at REALFOOD.ORG]