Tallulah in the Oven

It was a very, very busy day. The story critique went quite well, actually! I was pleasantly surprised at some of the incredibly insightful comments made by other students. Usually there are only three or four students whose opinions I truly respect, but this time, it was pretty clear everyone understood where I was going and how to make it work better.

After that, it was Turkey Time. Lois and I hopped a bus with our giant shopping bag full of cooking supplies. But unfortunately, due to unclear directions and a clueless bus driver, we got off at the wrong stop. Calling the Irish friend (alright, he can have a name! It's Lochlainn. No, really, it is...) didn't help much. In fact, it was sort of a shock to hear we were "miles away!"

Luckily, Lois and I both possess a great sense of humour, which comes in handy when dragging around a too-heavy bag in a part of town we'd NEVER EVER seen. It was such a relief to finally see Lochlainn and his house. I think we'd walked for over an hour looking for it!

But alas, there was no rest for the weary. It was immediately time to get to work. Tallulah was defrosted and ready to get dressed and hot - Lochlainn took care of the dirty work of the giblets and the 'other bits', while Lois and I prepared a butter, olive oil, and herb rub. And then we got our hands dirty! We buttered poor Tallulah all over (even inside her skin!), stuffed her full of onion, and popped her in the oven.

And began to wait.

And wait some more.

We watched some YouTube videos... and waited even longer. The bird smelled nice at least! Absolutely delicious, actually. Lois snuck some veg into the oven and we sat down to wait again.

Being so behind, it seemed like we were never going to make it. Text messages and calls from the flatmates back at the dorm made us a little skittish. What if it didn't cook all the way? It was a huge turkey! What if everyone was so hungry and we were so late? What if, what if, what if?!

It was epic taking that turkey out of the oven. It was such a feeling of accomplishment - mostly browned on the outside (we left the foil cover on too long, I suspect), the perfect temperature, and just beautiful looking and smelling. We high-fived about ten times in the kitchen, Lois squealing, Lochlainn grinning, and me giggling like a schoolgirl.

"But how," Lochlainn said, "Are we going to get it into the taxi?" We went quiet. The aluminum roasting pan was not sturdy enough, and we had no platter. The end attempt (which was surprisingly successful) involved a wrapping of foil around Tallulah, then a towel around that, more foil, then a final towel. I think the idea was to keep the heat in, but despite the silliness, we got the turkey to flat in one (or two) pieces. Oh, and the cab driver loved the smell.

To be continued...