WILLIAM CONNOR, DAILY MIRROR — Turkey has practically no taste except a dry fibrous flavor reminiscent of... warmed-up plaster... and horse hair. The texture is like wet sawdust and the whole vast feathered swindle has the piquancy of a boiled mattress.
| A. | Diner's choice on Thanksgiving Day (2 wds.) | WHITEMEAT |
| B. | City where Byzantium used to be | ISTANBUL |
| C. | For a Thanksgiving bird in the wild, it's about 10 years (2 wds.) | LIFESPAN |
| D. | River of oblivion-inducing quaffs | LETHE |
| E. | TV show with competitive cooks (2 wds.) | IRONCHEF |
| F. | Bantam ratite native to New Zealand | APTERYX |
| G. | Dark yellow or light olive brown | MUSTARD |
| H. | Newspaper pen name used by the author of this puzzle's quotation | CASSANDRA |
| I. | Soup ingredient from a bovine | OXTAIL |
| J. | Tradition-bucking trend (2 wds.) | NEWWAVE |
| K. | Exemplar of concision | NUTSHELL |
| L. | What abalone and baloney do, to a great extent | OVERLAP |
| M. | "The King of Cheeses" | ROQUEFORT |
| N. | Fell off the wagon | DRANK |
| O. | Made with cranberries instead of raisins, e.g. | ADAPTED |
| P. | Dish with mutton and potatoes (2 wds.) | IRISHSTEW |
| Q. | Woman much given to salt? (2 wds.) | LOTSWIFE |
| R. | Frothy; ebullient; creative | YEASTY |
| S. | Categorically pair, as beans and rice (2 wds.) | MATCHUP |
| T. | Chiller set in a restaurant (2 wds.) | ICEBUCKET |
| U. | Discussed again and again, as a diner dish? | REHASHED |
| V. | Seafood also known as channel bass | REDFISH |
| W. | Meal for Carroll's Walrus and Carpenter | OYSTERS |
| X. | Turned on a spit | ROTATED |