Jonmac wrote:
[Majority of lengthy Pilgrim Thanksgiving Turkey enquiry snipped for
brevity, after being saved to hard drive for future retelling as bona fide
history to my grandchildren, if my three daughters would kindly be so good
as to produce a few]
You write:
British opinion: As the (British) Pilgrim Fathers staggered
off the Mayflower after months of seasickness, scurvy,
> . . .one Septimus Blackthorne . . .
>opened a gun port on the Mayflower for
>a quick drag on a fag.
You should know that on this side of the Pond, especially in the politically
correct (or Seinfeldian) colonies, this statement would be objectionable -
unless rewritten as:
" . . . a quick drag on a fag (not that there's anything wrong with that)."
> . . . airborne wild turkeys . . .
Outside of my home state (Wisconsin-on-Mississippi), very few people have
ever seen a turkey that could fly. Most, I suspect, have never seen a turkey
at all that wasn't either frozen or roasted. Some may be unaware that they
ever sported feathers or operational interior parts. In frozen form they are
sometimes used for bowling, and are thus occasionally airborne, but you may
have trouble convincing anyone here that they can "fly". (Except for 'WKRP
in Cincinnati's Les Nessman, but that's a completely different story).
>we in England, had some forebears who
>missed the arrival at 8.30am (in 15?? or
>whenever it was) from London Paddington
>station to Plymouth Harbour
>We'd really like to know if the foregoing
>is the true story?
Ahhh . . . I now see the source of your uncertainty - you're apparently
referring to the "1500" (or Mark I) Pilgrims, who journeyed to Mayflower in
the Plymouth. Unfortunately, all records of this outing were lost - the only
remnants being a few pie tins covered with what appeared to be bird
droppings.
Our "Thanksgiving", on the other hand, is traced to the Mark II, or "1620"
Pilgrims. Who, I'm told, purchased their turkeys pre-cooked from a PDQ
convenience store operated by Native Americans (the first in a long line of
such stores whose operators don't speak English, by the way).
Wishing I could be of more help, and
Wishing you a belated Happy Thanksgiving,
I remain, & etc,
Jim Hill
Madison-on-Tyne
USA
|