The Perfect Bite

One of our holiday traditions is the "Perfect Bite".

The perfect bite is when you sneak into the kitchen just before the meal is ready to be served and you load up one fork with previews of the dinner to come; a good example is: turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy, and maybe a slurp of cranberry sauce and into your mouth for a slow savor, um um.

I never know if it tastes so good because of all the combinations, or if it is just the "long awaited" first bite.  Often, one person loads up the fork and feeds it to another.  That too might be why is tastes so incredible.  My mouth is watering just writing about the "perfect bite".

The sheep at Cabin Spring Farm have the same tradition except it is not reserved for holidays.  Every time I go out to feed the sheep some hay, they get so excited.  Amelia always wants to help me get the hay.  She tries to open the gate with her foot.  I tell her, " thanks, but I can get it".  I load up with 3-4 flakes of hay and walk back to the gate.  I try to open the gate while they are pushing against it but eventually they step back enough for me to squeeze in.  And then, everyone but Zorra, comes over for the perfect bite.  I stay still for a few seconds and hold on tight to the hay.  Once they have all grabbed a bite and are chewing, I walk to the hay feeder to unload the rest of the hay, feeding Zorra (at the end) first, since she has not yet had any.

So, is it the long awaited first bite or the fact that I am feeding them, that makes the bite at the gate, the perfect bite?  It can't be the combination of foods, since it is all just hay (no gravy).

I get a similar reaction from the geese.  They like to take a few blades of hay while I am fastening the bungy on the inside of the goose run.  Unfortunately, the geese don't then go over to their bowls.  Instead, I have to walk in carefully, trying not to step on any feet.  Once the bowls are filled, all is quiet and I can go get some fresh water.  The geese also consider the first bite of hay under the hay feeders ( that they have driven the sheep from) another perfect bite. Or is that "the grass is greener" if you get it from someone else's stash.

I don't think the chickens get the concept of "the perfect bite".