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Trading her backpack for a baster
If there were a Turkey Day section on the FCAT, this middle schooler would ace it. She's only 13, but she's cooking her family's whole meal - again.
By JOHN BARRY
Published November 24, 2005
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[Family photo]
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Kira Bear cooked this 18-pound turkey for Thanksgiving last year. The aspiring chef is preparing another feast for her family this year, from the 24-pound bird to the side dishes, though she may recruit her cousin to help with the icky parts — like removing the organs from the turkey.
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Just about now, wisp-of-a-girl Kira Bear, only 13 years removed from the delivery room, has her little arms wrapped around a pan that sags under 24 pounds of raw, cold, headless fowl. She staggers toward gaping oven, trembles under searing blast of heat from infernal maw. Twenty-five ravenous relatives and friends count on Kira to toast this turkey.
How did an innocent child get stuck with KP duty on the year's most pressure-packed cooking holiday - for the second straight year? She does it all: bird, dressing, potatoes, green beans, cranberries, pumpkin pie, etc. In her St. Pete Beach home, Kira, daughter of Donna and Ron Bear, explains her feelings about turkeys, cooking for a crowd, and older sisters.
- JOHN BARRY, deputy Floridian editor
Well, so what about turkeys?
They're cool. They're fun to eat, too.
Would you consider a pet turkey as an alternative?
I saw a pet turkey on TV once. It lived in a doghouse.
How do you feel about child labor?
I have a weekend job dusting and unloading the dishwasher. I also make french toast for the family. I put the eggs in and lots of cinnamon. But I don't think of cooking as child labor. I actually enjoy it. This time I might ask (cousin) Richie to help. He might do it. He's 12.
What do they pay you?
Nothing. I don't get an allowance. But I get money from my grandma.
What about your big sister (Amanda, 15)? What does she do?
She's a dancer (Kira waves her hand dismissively). She dances all day. She doesn't do much else.
Do you take the gizzard and other yucky stuff out yourself?
My mom takes the organs out. I'm not touching those at all. Maybe Richie could do it.
Your schedule (Kira has a written cooking schedule that covers two days) shows you taking a nap between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. What's up with that?
I don't really nap. I play some games on the computer. And I like to watch the Macy's parade.
What do you want to do when you grow up?
I want to be a chef and own a restaurant. It's something I've always liked, making stuff, my own creations.
What are you most thankful for on this Thanksgiving day?
Jasmine, our black Lab. She's our first dog. We got her from the pet shelter.
What's on the menu for Jasmine?
Canned dog food and dry dog and cat food and a Popsicle for dessert.
[Last modified November 22, 2005, 13:16:03]
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