Pre-Party

Tomorrow we celebrate Fernando's 3rd birthday. Birthdays are always a big event here...a special lunch with family and close friends then a church service at the house followed by a piñata as pay-off for the kids for sitting through a church service. 

Cata and Oscar, Fernando's parents are never ones to skimp on a party. They bought three turkeys. This afternoon the whole family was there to help kill and prepare tomorrow's lunch.

They even built a temporary shelter to house the temporary outdoor kitchen.

The birthday boy himself with his mom, Cata.

Once the turkeys had bled they were put in the giant pot of boiling water for just a minute to soften the skin for de-feathering. Once that turkey was out of the water it was a frenzy of hands and feathers.

After the feathers are removed just the feet are dipped in the boiling water. This helps the rough skin on the feet to just peel off. Yes, this is me just peeling off turkey feet skin. I'm gonna be honest here, I didn't think I could do it. What I did not do that every other woman there did do was snap the toe nails off the birds.

More feather plucking.

After all the birds had been par-boiled Isabel scoops water out of the giant pot so we can lift it off the fire.

Cata and Ana work hard to get all the feathers off the naked birds.

After all the feathers are gone the bird is passed over flame to singe any that we may have missed.

All the while the kids are running around causing trouble. Ela gave Elkin strawberries to keep him busy but we looked over in time just to see him smashing the berries through the mesh wire cage of his pet rabbit, Flash because Ela told Elkin to share.

(A side story: Here, when kids start to get whiney or cry parents always try to distract them by pointing something else out; "Look at the truck!", "Look at the cat!", "Look at your friend, she's not crying!" are examples. Today, I heard a new one; "Look at the turkey blood!")

Finally, Ela cut all three birds. Just in case you can't fully see, she is using a machete to butcher the turkey. 

Check back soon for photos of the birthday party.