Turkey

Consider Sunday the last opportunity for awhile to watch a Turkish folk dance, try a manti (Turkish dumpling) or take a picture with a soldier guarding a replica of the Trojan Horse. Turkey came to the Orange County Fairgrounds this weekend for the fourth Anatolian Cultures & Food Festival. However, event organizers said the festival will head to New York next year before returning to Orange County in 2015. "[New York dignitaries] showed an interest in the festival," said Atilla Kahveci, the event's spokesman.

KAREN WIGHT This year, it's my turn to host Thanksgiving dinner -- and my family is a tough crowd. I have a brother from Nashville who's a professor at Vanderbilt and a gourmet cook (brains meets burners), a sister-in-law from Finland who's a vegetarian, a mother who's never cooked a meal in her life but likes anything fried or pralined, a sister who's favorite home is Mexico City and likes her turkey "mole," and my own three fussy kids whose idea of a perfect main course is mashed potatoes and gravy.

Turkeys. I've fried them, baked them in a bag, barbecued them and wrapped them in foil. I've undercooked them, overcooked them and everything in between. I'm always up for a better way to get to the finish line. But I still think the oven-baked, occasionally-basted turkey is best. No red dots that may or may not pop up. Just a meat thermometer and a little TLC (Turkey Lovin' Care). Personally, I think that the best thing about a turkey is the fact that it holds stuffing.

LOLITA HARPER Ah. Only 36 tiny hours before my impending tryptophan high. You know, the kind of mood-altering climax that comes only after a satisfying meal of tender turkey, perfectly-seasoned stuffing, steamed vegetables and gravy. With my mind on my turkey and my turkey on my mind, the article in Tuesday's Pilot about Tara Anderson's fifth-grade class at Newport Heights Elementary School, really grabbed my attention. Using a clever and imaginative lesson plan, Anderson read the children a story by Dav Pilkey titled "Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving," in which all the pint-sized characters liberated turkeys from farmer McNugget's confinement.

A local barbecue restaurant will donate money from turkeys sold through Nov. 24 to a local nonprofit organization geared toward helping the needy, company officials said. From today through 4 p.m. Nov. 24, the Beach Pit BBQ restaurant will donate $10 from every turkey purchase to Share Our Selves, whose volunteers provide free assistance to the county’s in-need population. Slow-cooked in a giant smoker in the restaurant, 18- to 20-pound turkeys cost $95 and can serve up to 24 people.

For the seventh year in a row, I deviate from the traditional Community & Clubs format to present the Turkey and Eagle Awards for Newport-Mesa. The nominees come from the pages of the Daily Pilot as both the Turkey and Eagle are newsmakers in our community. The votes are in, and for 2008, we, the nominating committee, have selected Turkey of the Year who is none other than “Let’s sue the City of Newport Beach” Allan Beek. Beek filed a lawsuit against Newport Beach a year ago to stop Measure B from going to the voters.

Ali Ton, an Orange County high school product who played at Davidson and professionally in Turkey before going into coaching, will join the UC Irvine men’s basketball staff as an assistant. The official announcement is imminent as newly hired coach Russ Davis fills one spot on his staff that also includes returning assistant Doug Oliver. Ton spent the last three seasons as an assistant at Radford. The former All-Orange County point guard at Los Alamitos High spent two seasons on the staff at Binghamton University and one season as an assistant at his alma mater.

Kindergartners at Newport Heights Elementary School in Newport Beach shared with us their favorite part of holiday meals. Here's what they had to say: "Turkey, because it's good. I have five helpings. I also like pumpkin pie because it tastes good." -- Holly Hovnanian, 5, Newport Beach "Turkey with gravy on it. I just like a little bit of gravy though. My favorite part of the turkey to eat is the hand. I also like the skin." -- Sophia Evans, 6, Costa Mesa "Mashed potatoes.

o7 The Daily Pilot asked students at California Elementary School in Costa Mesa: What's your favorite food and why? What's your favorite Thanksgiving food and why? f7 My favorite food is watermelon because it's sweet. My favorite Thanksgiving food is cranberry sauce because it tastes good and it's sweet. AMANDA WILSON, 8 Costa Mesa Turkey. Sweet turkey, because it's good. It's very good. And my mom gives me that for lunch, too. Just regular turkey.

Consider Sunday the last opportunity for awhile to watch a Turkish folk dance, try a manti (Turkish dumpling) or take a picture with a soldier guarding a replica of the Trojan Horse. Turkey came to the Orange County Fairgrounds this weekend for the fourth Anatolian Cultures & Food Festival. However, event organizers said the festival will head to New York next year before returning to Orange County in 2015. "[New York dignitaries] showed an interest in the festival," said Atilla Kahveci, the event's spokesman.

A week-and-a-half ago, Someone Cares Soup Kitchen wasn't quite sure where it would get the money for its 26th annual Thanksgiving Day meal. Shannon Santos, the Costa Mesa soup kitchen's executive director, got her answer when the founder of Premiere Health Services, Susan Scott, called. "She said she wanted to cover the cost, and I shrieked," Santos said. "When Susan called it was just a godsend. For that to happen, it's part of the magic that goes on here. We have a saying, 'We're going to put it out there in the universe,' and the universe always gives back twice-full.

Want the tryptophan-induced coma without all the work? Here are a few alternatives to preparing your own Thanksgiving meal. * Lobster or turkey Charlie Palmer at Bloomingdale's South Coast Plaza, 3333 Bristol St., offers a three-course menu with items like Maine lobster chowder, slow-basted organic turkey, pumpkin tart and more for $75 for adults and $35 for children younger than 12, plus tax and gratuity. Soup's on from 1 to 6 p.m. Thursday. For more information, call (714)

A turkey, as defined by the fourth edition of the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is "A large North American bird that has brownish plumage and a bare, wattled head and neck and is widely domesticated for food. " The slang definition for turkey from the same dictionary is "A person considered inept or undesirable. " For the ninth year in a row, I deviate from the traditional Community & Clubs column format to present the Turkey Award, as well as the Eagle Award.

Some people historically come to the Orange County Fair in Costa Mesa to taste the newest deep-fried cuisine. This year was no exception as thousands crowded the fairgrounds on Saturday, searching for the latest culinary offerings. New to the fair is the "Bacon A-Fair" stand, which stands on the site of the former the Deep Fried Butter Stand. The re imagined stand now attracts foodies and fair goers alike who come for their favorite bacon-inspired dishes. In addition to crowd favorites like chocolate covered bacon, owners Mike and Brittney Peterson have added more unique items to their menu.

A group of students set out to understand the deep-rooted tension between Armenians and Turks in the wake of the continuing disputes over the 1915 Armenian genocide. After spending 10 days traveling around the two countries, talking to politicians, journalists, academics and nongovernmental agencies, UC Irvine senior Yolanda Espiritu saw just how many roadblocks the two countries face at the state level. But she also saw cooperation at the community level. "It's just a positive example that Turks and Armenians can live together and work together," Espiritu said.

I was shocked and angered to read Joseph Serna's story "Berardino: City is not to be trusted" on Dec. 15 in which union boss and recent Orange County Fair Board appointee Nick Berardino moved to cut Costa Mesa's ties with the annual Barrett-Jackson auto auction. For those who don't know, Berardino is the $200,000-a-year head of the Orange County Employees Assn. and was recently appointed to the Orange County Fair Board by Gov. Jerry Brown as a payback to big labor for getting the governor elected.

Local state representatives handed out turkeys at the Newport Beach American Legion, which will redistribute the birds to military families in need this holiday season, according to the representatives' staffers. State Sen. Tom Harman (R- Huntington Beach), who represents Newport Beach, Irvine and Costa Mesa, and Assemblyman Jim Silva (R- Huntington Beach) distributed 128 turkeys Friday at the American Legion Newport Harbor Post 291 on Balboa Peninsula, according to a press release from Harman's office.

"Turkey" as defined by the fourth edition of the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language is: "A large North American bird that has brownish plumage and a bare, wattled head and neck and is widely domesticated for food. " The slang definition for turkey from the same dictionary is: "A person considered inept or undesirable. " For the ninth year in a row, I deviate from the traditional Community & Clubs column format to present the Turkey Award as well as the Eagle Award.

Let's face it — America just wouldn't be the same without the greatness that is Thanksgiving. After all, it is the one day of the year when it's completely excused, if not encouraged, to be obsessed with food. It's the one day of the year when turkey isn't processed into glistening disks of lunch meat. It's the one day of the year when we gobble down stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole and similar foods that are pretty much never eaten any other day. It's the four to five days of the year when we eat the same meal, and its creative variations, for every meal.