November 25, 2005
Turkey
My trusty word book says that the bird we now call a turkey is actually native to the new world. The guinea-fowl was brought into Europe through Turkey and got its name that way. The American bird was thought to be a species of the same. When the difference was discovered, the name guinea-fowl was kept for the old-world bird, and the turkey was transferred to our Thanksgiving tables.
The annual White House turkey deferential reprieve goes back down through the years and quite a number of presidents. Any possible nepotistic symbolism seems more appropriate some years than others.