Introduction

There are certain days that remind me why I ran for this office. [...] Then there are moments like this when I pardon a turkey and send it to Disneyland,” President Barack Obama jested during the 2009 turkey pardoning ceremony (qtd. in Montopoli).¹ A modern addition to the traditional Thanksgiving festivities, the ceremony occurs within the context of an American holiday inextricably tied to food practices and notions of community: Perceived as the biggest family event of the year, when family members and friends come together from across the country (Gomes ix), Thanksgiving thus combines ritualized preparations of food—stuffing, cooking, and finally eating the Thanksgiving turkey en famille—with declarations of national unity.