Introducing Jonathan to “The Scavenge”

For about as long as I can remember, part of the Thanksgiving tradition in the Rittmaster Family has been “The Scavenge.” The Scavenge occurs when Uncle Lloyd begins carving the Turkey. Corey, Matt and I gather on the opposite side of the table from where Uncle Lloyd is standing. We have been joined, at various times, by guest scavengers – Brian Schwartz comes to mind as one such participant. And as Uncle Lloyd carves, we scavenge. Elaborate rules have developed over the years, but the basics are:
1) You can only grab pieces of turkey that are no longer connected to the bird
2) You may not eat any piece large enough for serving (that goes on the serving tray)
3) Uncle Lloyd is paying attention solely to the carving. Stick your fingers in at your own peril. And for God’s sake don’t bleed on dinner!

This year, Jonathan joined us in enjoying the scavenge. It’s not safe yet (nor will it be for some time) for him to actually pick pieces during the carving. But he certainly liked the fruits of my labor. Grandma Marcia managed to capture this short camera-phone video of his participation (there’s no audio):