What can go wrong will
Tell us your disastrous Thanksgiving turkey story
Star-Bulletin staff
A little incident with a big turkey can turn into Armageddon very easily. A holiday turkey meal is, after all, a high-stakes proposition. Company's coming and a big bird takes a long time to cook, so it's not like do-overs are possible. On top of that, we just don't roast turkeys that often, so the skills get rusty.
All this adds up to the fact that in every family history there lurks at least one turkey tragedy, a holiday-threatening occurrence that seemed deadly serious at the time -- but is good for a few laughs now that some time has passed.
Tell us your story. We'll run the best on Nov. 23, Thanksgiving eve, when holiday kitchen stress will be on the rise and we'll all need a good laugh.
The first-place story will win a $100 gift certificate to Times Supermarket, so you can get started on this year's turkey tale. Runners-up will receive cookbooks.
In 1998 we first asked readers to tell us of their turkey troubles and the entries were some of the funniest of any write-in contest.
There was the guy who thought he could get light and fluffy stuffing if he added yeast. His turkey exploded.
And there was the guy with the hangover who was charged with taking the family turkey from his mother's house to his sister's, because Mom's oven was on the fritz. Problem is, his sister lived in a townhouse and Brother went into the wrong unit, put the turkey in a stranger's oven and left. The stranger then locked up and went out.
Can you top that? Whatever happened to you, wherever it happened, however it was resolved, tell us your story.
Here are the rules:
» Tell your story in 100 words or less. Include your full name, day- and nighttime telephone numbers and mailing address.
» Winner of the top prize must be a Hawaii resident. Entries will be judged by the Star-Bulletin features staff and their decision is final.
» All entries may be published in the Star-Bulletin without compensation to the writer.
» Deadline for entries is 5 p.m. Nov. 16.
» Send entries to Turkey Trouble, Honolulu Star-Bulletin features section, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813. Fax 529-4750. E-mail betty@starbulletin.com.
» Employees of the Star-Bulletin and MIdWeek are ineligible.