by Terrance Mc Arthur

It’s almost Thanksgiving, and that means…Bring on the Turkey! The Great Food Search traveled the countryside, even exploring a supermarket freezer section, to find turkey meals to review . . . and gobble-gobble-gobble!

Hungry-Man Roasted Carved White Meat Turkey—According to legend, in 1953, the Swanson Brothers had a problem—they had over-estimated demand for frozen turkeys, and had ten refrigerated railroad cars full of frozen birds rolling across the Midwest to keep them from defrosting, and the Swanson’s TV Dinner was born. Those aluminum trays are part of many a childhood memory. In 1973, Hungry-Man Dinners were introduced with double-sized entrees. Metal trays couldn’t be used in those new-fangled microwave ovens, but 1979 brought plastic pans, and “TV” eventually vanished from the label, because it made an image of lazy cooks. The Swanson name even disappeared from the packaging through a series of buyouts which now puts the product under the Conagra Brands umbrella, which brings me to…the Hungry-Man meal I put in my microwave. Four slices of turkey with gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, a vegetable medley of corn, carrots, and green beans, and a cranberry-apple compote. It all tasted like food, which exceeded my expectations. Nothing was dry, colors were bright, and it was––tasty!

Irene’s Café—747 E. Olive Ave., Fresno—Fresno’s Tower District is the city’s Bohemian enclave, and Irene’s is one of its landmarks, serving delicious food and lots of atmosphere since 1991. Admire the retro tile floor or sit on the out-front covered patio, enjoy breakfast, lunch, or dinner and an assortment of beverages (adult or non), and a good time is had by all. The Bahama Club is a sandwich that features “white turkey breast, crisp bacon and ripe avocado with cream cheese and all the extras on a Basque roll,” according to the menu, and that’s what you get! The turkey was delicious, with crunchy bacon and juicy tomato covered in a pile of shredded lettuce. The cream cheese makes it a slippery little devil, and the Basque roll took me back to childhood restaurants in Bakersfield. You’ll want to save half to take home, but you’ll probably eat it all. As a side, I had the Pasta Salad, corkscrews and olives in a tangy vinaigrette. Good stuff.

The Red Caboose Café—5054 N. Academy Ave., Clovis—It’s not far from home, in a Neverland where Clovis and Sanger blend together, and I always enjoy the food. The Hot Turkey Sandwich is an open-face affair, slathered with gravy and laid atop whole wheat bread. The turkey slabs are thick, the mashed potatoes are creamy, and the green beans are accented with bacon. The model railroad still rolls overhead on its figure-8 track, but clear plastic railings have been added for safety after a few train wrecks. It’s a friends-and-family place where people gather to meet and eat . . . and eat . . . and eat.

The Verdict—Hungry-Man was surprisingly good for a frozen meal. Irene’s had good food in a quirky atmosphere. Red Caboose provided friendly comfort food. And the winner is . . . Irene’s.

Check out more food articles and more of Terrance’s Great Food Search column in our Food Fun section. And check out a KRL staff profile this week on Terrance!

Terrance V. Mc Arthur worked for the Fresno County Public Library for three decades. He is retired, but not retiring. A storyteller, puppeteer, writer, actor, magician, basketmaker, and all-around interesting person, his goal is to make life more unusual for everyone he meets.