Why is goose not eaten in the U.S.?

[singular1]

A good friend of ours wanted to treat us to a goose dinner for Christmas one year. I wish I had known ahead of time that there’s no white meat on a goose. I can’t stand dark meat, so I merely picked at my meal to look polite. I did eat a little, and I didn’t like it at all. The accompanying meat for this feast? Venison. Guess what else I can’t stand…

Aside from tasting crappy, it wasn’t greasy at all, though. Just gross.

[Acsenray]

@suranyi

Of course, I’m in the minority of Americans who prefers the dark meat of chicken.

Minority? Isn’t the drumstick the most popular part?

[Acsenray]

@acsenray

Minority? Isn’t the drumstick the most popular part?

Sorry … Meant to add … I usually choose white meat for health reasons, but for taste purposes, I always assumed that everyone liked dark meat better. I mean, unless you’re at some expensive restaurant, chiken breast is usually the driest, most tasteless piece of meat in existence. (Except for turkey breast maybe.)

[pulykamell]

@acsenray

Sorry … Meant to add … I usually choose white meat for health reasons, but for taste purposes, I always assumed that everyone liked dark meat better. I mean, unless you’re at some expensive restaurant, chiken breast is usually the driest, most tasteless piece of meat in existence. (Except for turkey breast maybe.)

I somewhat agree with you. Chicken breast is bland in comparison to thigh or other dark meat, but it doesn’t have to be dry. If it’s prepared correctly (i.e. not overcooked), it actually retains juices pretty well. However, I’m a sucker for dark meat, which is much more flavorful.

Overall, though, my observation is that, at least here in America, breast meat seems to be more popular (notice how “all white meat” has become a marketing point, while “all dark meat” hasn’t–at least not to my knowledge.)

[Odinoneeye]

@pulykamell

I somewhat agree with you. Chicken breast is bland in comparison to thigh or other dark meat, but it doesn’t have to be dry. If it’s prepared correctly (i.e. not overcooked), it actually retains juices pretty well. However, I’m a sucker for dark meat, which is much more flavorful.

Overall, though, my observation is that, at least here in America, breast meat seems to be more popular (notice how “all white meat” has become a marketing point, while “all dark meat” hasn’t–at least not to my knowledge.)

That’s my finding too. In my family, everyone likes the dark meat so it was a shock to me when I went to college and found out this wasn’t true for most people.

I can only eat chicken breast if it’s in a soup or covered with a sauce or gravy. With turkey, I even find the dark meat too dry. Now I love duck which most people claim is too oily.

Guess I juist like oil.

[BrainGlutton]

@pulykamell

Overall, though, my observation is that, at least here in America, breast meat seems to be more popular (notice how “all white meat” has become a marketing point, while “all dark meat” hasn’t–at least not to my knowledge.)

Not exactly, but at Boston Market you can order “1/4 chicken – white” or “1/4 chicken – dark.” I always order the dark and I’m sure I’m not alone.

[Odinoneeye]

@BrainGlutton

Not exactly, but at Boston Market you can order “1/4 chicken – white” or “1/4 chicken – dark.” I always order the dark and I’m sure I’m not alone.

You’re not alone, but every once in a while I see a “manager’s Special” that’s two of the quarter chicken (dark) and it costs less than the 1/2 a chicken.

I figure they do that because they need to get rid of the extra dark meat.

Works well for me though.

[pulykamell]

@BrainGlutton

Not exactly, but at Boston Market you can order “1/4 chicken – white” or “1/4 chicken – dark.” I always order the dark and I’m sure I’m not alone.

There’s plenty of chicken places in Chicago that do that, too. However, what I meant is when you see ads for fast food places (say, McDonald’s) or frozen meals, it’s white meat that tends to be the hot sell. I can’t ever remember a Burger King or Micky D’s emphasizing the fact that they offer a product made with 100% dark meat. Granted, a chicken place will be a bit different, but as far as food advertising in general goes, I’m willing to bet dollars to donuts that white meat is way more heavily marketed.

[pulykamell]

And just to prove I’m not nuts, here’s an article in a meat industry publication about turning dark meat to white meat.

Is it a breast or is it a dark thigh? A poultry professor has found a way to turn dark chicken meat into a more valuable white meat.

University of Georgia poultry scientist Daniel Fletcher said he can make “a silk purse” out of the underused dark meat of the chicken, by transforming it into the more desirable white meat.

"Americans prefer the breast meat," Fletcher said. "Dark meat evolved into being a by-product of the chicken industry."

(Emphasis added).

Here’s one from a restaurant industry website.

The leg–or dark–meat of the chicken is often discarded in preference of using breast meat in menu items. But chefs around the country are creating quite a flap with inventive recipes that put dark-meat chicken at the center of the plate.

[…]

Until recently, Americans’ preference for chicken breast meat wasn’t a problem because most of the rest of the world prefers dark meat.

[…]

“[W]e have to change the perception of dark meat as an inferior product. As an industry, we shot ourselves in the foot by pushing white meat so much. Now we need to change public opinion…."

[…]

“I don’t understand Americans’ resistance to eating dark meat. It’s the best part of the chicken,” says Miller.

[Mapache]

[QUOTE=ddgryphon]
I have visions of that Victorian Goose you see as large as the boy Scrooge sends to buy it.

Evrybody thinks they have this vision. The funny thing is, it wasn’t a goose that Scrooge sent to the Crachits’ Christmas dinner, it was…a turkey.

ORIGINALY POSTED BY: C. Dickens: "“An intelligent boy!” said Scrooge. “A remarkable boy!
Do you know whether they’ve sold the prize Turkey that
was hanging up there?–Not the little prize Turkey: the
big one?”

“What, the one as big as me?” returned the boy.

“What a delightful boy!” said Scrooge. “It’s a pleasure
to talk to him. Yes, my buck!”

“It’s hanging there now,” replied the boy.

“Is it?” said Scrooge. “Go and buy it.”

[Scissorjack]

[QUOTE=Mapache]

@ddgryphon

I have visions of that Victorian Goose you see as large as the boy Scrooge sends to buy it.

Evrybody thinks they have this vision. The funny thing is, it wasn’t a goose that Scrooge sent to the Crachits’ Christmas dinner, it was…a turkey.

Perhaps they’re confusing it with The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, which also took place at Christmas.

[Scissorjack]

Evrybody thinks they have this vision. The funny thing is, it wasn’t a goose that Scrooge sent to the Crachits’ Christmas dinner, it was…a turkey.

Perhaps they’re confusing it with The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, which also took place at Christmas.

[CairaJade]

My mom makes goose for Christmas dinner. I think she would alternate prime rib one year and goose the next if she wasn’t trying to please everyone at the table, but I don’t eat red meat (well I don’t really eat much of the goose, or Thanksgiving turkey either) so she usually does the goose. My parents smoke the turkey or turducken for Thanksgiving, but I can’t remember if they smoke or roast the goose. Ham is for Easter, for which I am never at their home.

[Anaamika]

Me and my SO are perfectly suited in this respect because I love dark meat while he only eats white meat. So together we can eat a chicken and not fight over any bits.

[Malacandra]

@Case Sensitive

Perhaps they’re confusing it with The Adventure of the Blue Carbuncle, which also took place at Christmas.

Or the fact that when the Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge a vision of the Cratchits’ Christmas dinner, they are eating goose (a rather small one for a family of that size).

[Annie-Xmas]

Zombie Goose (or is it a Phoenix?)

[Anaamika]

Whoops! (Boy, am I glad I’m not the one who resurrected.)

[SkipMagic]

Clipping the wings of the zombie goose.