White Meat vs. Dark Meat

So the other day I was carving the last of the leftover Turkey from Thanksgiving and I was noticing the amount and the type of meat leftover.  There seemed to be a whole lot of dark meat untouched, both entire legs, both wings, and thighs, were all left.  Now, my extended family of 24 people that were at Thanksgiving, are mostly white meat eaters; which is totally cool and that is just the what they prefer, this is not about me holding that against them.  I enjoy both colors of meat, but dark meat seems more tender and more flavorful, and also does not seem to dry out as much.

But I got thinking...

Has our society convinced us that white meat is better than dark meat?  Is there an underlying racial bias that dates back before the emancipation proclamation?

KFC and Popeye's charge more for white meat chicken, which infers that a higher value is placed on white meat.   When you buy chicken at the grocery store the dark meat is always cheaper.  They sell a Turkey Breast of just the white meat, most sliced deli poultry is sliced breast (white meat), and restaurants sell the breasts with main courses rarely legs or thighs. 

My unofficial and completely unfounded thoughts about this are that  back in the days of slavery the slave owners used to eat the white meat of the poultry they cooked (chicken, turkey, goose) because they thought that white meat was better because they were ignorant.  So as time as gone on, the dark meat has been associated with not being as tasty because slave owners sucked and made everything about color.

I believe that because dark meat is normally so close to the bones of the bird they are infused with more flavor and our society has forced our opinion to like the white meat.  I say buck the system, DO NOT pay more for inferior meat on your poultry bird parts, do not let the man tell you his lies about what meat is better, just because it cost more does not mean that it is better, take a stand against unknown and unforeseen racism.

Giving Thanks can be hard

This time of year tends to be highlighted by crappy situations for many people.  I now families who have lost loved ones during the holidays, or they have lost their jobs due to the continued recession, or their prayers never seem to be answered for what they want most.  But we are suppose to be mindful of the things we are thankful for, I believe that is easier said then done.

I know that sometimes it is hard to see the things we are thankful for, especially when it seems like parts of our lives are crumbling around us.  But this time of year is not about seeing the bad, it is take the extra effort and focusing on the good things, even if they are small.  That can be really hard but you have to begin the thought process somewhere.  Maybe it is being thankful for certain freedoms that come with living in this country, a healthy family/your health, a job, smiling children, loving spouse, or a roof over your head. 

I encourage you all to take the extra effort to try to see the positive side of life, if even only for a moment. 
Have a great Holiday.