Gobble gobble gobble! In honor of Thanksgiving and a celebration of refugees fleeing persecution finding a new home in America, today I post about an animal I met in Syria. Tom Tahir the Turkey came by my excavation trench often.  He would waddle over and puff out his meaty breast taunting me with deliciousness.

My workers thought my obsession with the bird was weird yet funny.  They were such nice people that one day they offered it to me and said we could have a great turkey feast. This was the only turkey in the entire village and he had baby turkeys. Plus maybe a wife turkey too.  I didn’t really want to eat him but he did look like he’d make an amazing thanksgiving meal.  I declined of course and thanked everyone for their generosity. I can save my turkey eating for our American Holiday.

Hospitality. This is a word I always relate to people in the Middle East. They want to share with me and often take care of me, which is sometimes a little weird, but appreciated.  The rest of the dig Tahir the Turkey continued to come by,  maybe even more often after that,  gobbling in defiance and shaking his tail feathers at me.  He knew he’d won.

What a damn beautiful specimen of luscious turkey meat. I wonder if the villagers ever had their feast.