Thanksgiving and Christmas were the important holidays at our house, as I was a kid growing up. My mother cooked-up a wonderful meal, supplemented by food brought by my sister and her family. A big roast goose was usually one of the main offerings, roasted for hours by my mother. Not everyone cared for goose, so additionally a big ham was also made. My favorite, though, was roast duck. Succulent, crispy outside, delicious all-dark meat. If I was lucky, duck might be served at several additional times during the year, but always on a Sunday. Then, it was only my folks and I, without the expected turmoil of my nieces and nephews complicating the gathering. My brother-in-law's father, Willy, always had a fresh bottle of hard-liquor hidden in their car, and partook of it surreptitiously after the meal. Once, his absence being investigated, he was found completely zonkered in one of the bedrooms, with my nieces bouncing on his belly like a trampoline! He was oblivious to it! I haven't had roast duck in many years. My wife's alternate offering has been roast turkey, done up deliciously in our big microwave oven! I have now convinced her that due to old age and health uncertainties, I deserve roast duck one more time. The main deterrent has been price, nearly $50 for a typical frozen duck. Yesterday I spotted a freezer compartment with a bunch of them at our Krogers. Took one home for $21! Unsure when we'll roast it, but two certainties exist: it will be done by our Sharp Micro-Convection Oven, and, only the two of us will be present, my wife and I. All the others are either dead, or will be self-centeredly absent. My 3 nieces have not spoken to me in decades, upon orders from their father, the tyrant of their household. That his mandate has withstood the test of time is not at all understandable. They still fear his repercussions though he has been dead for at least ten years. And so it goes. Once dysfunctional, forever dysfunctional. Frank
Enjoy your duck, Frank. I've never been a fan of duck, and we've always been turkey/ham people for Thanksgiving and Christmas. On Christmas Eve we usually have seafood. Holidays were a big deal when I was a kid, with tons of extended family and no one bothering to hide the booze. We kids enjoyed the egg"nog" quite a bit. I'll never forget the Christmas Eve my tipsy sister-in-law fell off the front porch while trying to carry the Wonder Horse inside to put under the tree for my little nephew. Thankfully the hedges broke her fall but it was hilarious seeing her try to get out from under the Wonder Horse. Fun times.
Growing up, I have had goose, duck, pheasant, and partridge, since my brothers hunted those things. Of those, I preferred the goose but, to be honest, I thought a domestic goose tasted better than a wild goose since we also raised geese from time to time. I don't remember much about the wildfowl, except that I had to be careful because it wasn't unheard of for some of the shot to be missed while the birds were being prepared. Since I don't have any strong memories of the taste, my assumption is that I thought they were just okay, and that I'd probably prefer turkey or ham. On the other hand, I am aware that the Christmas goose was an important tradition for many families, so there must be something to it.
I did a goose one year for Christmas ( it's all the Cratchitts' fault....). It cost a fortune, produced what seemed like gallons of grease, and provided but a morsel of meat per person. I'll admit it was good, but NEVER AGAIN!
I recall having goose at a restaurant on a farm. This was when I was a kid. The farm is now an office park. I don't think I've ever known anyone who had goose for Christmas. It seems like the tradition of an era that predated me. I've had duck at Chinese restaurants, and pheasant shot by my father and older brother when I was very young. As Ken said, I don't recall the taste of the wild game but do remember being careful of shot (that also applied to rabbit.)