Welcome back to Table Talk, where The Daily Memphian writers and editors send the latest food news — along with a dash of this and that — directly to your inbox every Wednesday.

Thanksgiving is here. Or almost. 

And no matter what you might hear this week, know this: As God is my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.

OK, just kidding. I would never do that. Besides, I’d like to think I’m more the Johnny Fever of The Daily Memphian than the Arthur Carlson. (Apologies to readers not familiar with the greatest Thanksgiving-themed work in all of American culture. The link above is a sample.)

But if I would never throw a turkey from a helicopter, I would (and have, many times) tossed one in the oven. 

ICYMI, I mounted my ceremonial six-point defense of the traditional Thanksgiving turkey in this space last week.

It’s now too late to concoct a turkey plan, but is it too late to find somewhere else to eat? In case you’re making some last-minute decisions, here’s one more link to our Thanksgiving guide. 

If you’re being deprived of Thanksgiving turkey against your will this holiday and want to make up for it later on, Joshua Carlucci and I recently highlighted eight turkey dishes at Memphis restaurants. 

Beyond the turkey are the sides. Holly Whitfield and I discussed such matters on The Daily Memphian’s “Sound Bites” radio show/podcast this week, which is up early for the holiday. 

Spoiler alert: Holly and I are somewhat at odds on cranberry sauce (canned vs. fresh?) but simpatico on dressing: What you call it (duh), what kind of bread to use (cornbread) and its place in the Thanksgiving side-dish power rankings (No. 1!). 

Thanksgiving Day is about food. I’d argue that the entire four-day Thanksgiving weekend is about food, but for some among us, attention quickly turns to shopping. 

Can’t be me. One of my assertions on the podcast this week was that I prefer Thanksgiving to Christmas in large part because you get family-and-friend gatherings around food without presents getting in the way.

But if you are going to be shopping this weekend, consumables are a good way to both buy and receive. That kind of present is less likely to end up in your giveaway box or in the garbage. 

We’ve hit that mark a couple of times this week. 

In our “Wrapper’s delight” holiday shopping guide, a few food suggestions were made. 

Natalie Van Gundy suggested tea and tea kits from My Cup of Tea. Aisling Maki cast a vote for Thistle & Bee’s “Love Me Chunky” granola. Kelsey Bowen made a case for an oil and vinegar set from The Mighty Olive.

Clay Bailey wants to make you work a little bit, assembling a Memphis barbecue kit with sauces, rubs and more from different sources. 

Speaking of Memphis barbecue, applications are now being accepted for the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest, set for May 15-18 at Liberty Park.

More food-and-drink gift ideas were explored last week on “Sound Bites.”

Natalie suggested gift cards for some local food experiences, such as baking classes at Muddy’s and a tea party at 17 Berkshire. 

Holly referenced Shotwell candies, Ricky’s Cookie Corner bars, and coffee sodas from Comeback Coffee, something I wrote more about this summer. 

Bianca Phillips noted some locally connected cookbooks and made some boozy recommendations from Old Millington Winery, Crosstown Brewing and Old Dominick.

I missed both of these forums. I guess I was too busy writing about basketball and BDSM (kinda, sorta) last week.

But I’ll share a couple of things that I’ve discovered this year that I’d recommend as food gifts, both of which I found at Buster’s Butcher, which I wrote about in late summer. 

One of those is very local, and you can probably only find it there: Buster’s house-made chili crunch, which had been a staple at Salt | Soy on Broad, when Buster’s manager Brad McCarley was chef. 

I’d been keeping some of the Momofuku brand chili crunch on my kitchen counter, but this is better. Lighter and crunchier. 

The other item I knew wasn’t local, but I assumed it was at least regional: Sherman’s Tennessee Hot Crackers. 

It turns out, upon reading the fine print, that these are made in Michigan but by a small family business with Tennessee roots. 

Fried, seasoned Saltines — aka Fire Crackers — is a Southern staple you often find as finger food at parties but don’t see commercially packaged much, unless I’ve missed it.

This variation, which I’ve seen locally in white cheddar and garlic parmesan variations, is delicious and seems to have only recently turned up in local stores. I first saw them at Buster’s but have also seen them at the new Mad Grocer in Crosstown. The company’s web site also lists South Point Grocery, in the South Main Arts District, as a store that carries them. 

So, those are my contributions to the food gift effort. 

Speaking of spicy, Joshua Carlucci has found some Cajun food in Horn Lake. He had me at “boudin balls,” something you don’t see much around these parts. 

Once you gorge yourself this week and you need to ease back, Abigail Warren has news on a new salad restaurant on the way. You’ll have to wait for 2024, though.

Finally, in her latest Memphis Food Files, Sophia Surrett has a bunch of restaurant news, including on the new ownership at New Asia. I visited the restaurant this week and will have a little more on it in the near future. But worth noting for now: They are open on Thanksgiving Day.

OK, we’re done. Y’all now have permission to prep your four-day turkey coma.