Turkeys and brandy

From The Great Outdoor Fight

At Noon on the second day of the GOF, the recognized leaders of armies are offered a "feast" consisting of a single roasted turkey and a bottle of brandy. The men have, essentially, only two choices: to consume the turkey and brandy alone, or to share the food and drink with their army. It is not permissable by tradition for leaders to share the turkey with only a few select fighters. No leader has chosen not to accept the turkey and the brandy, though one has become famous for using the turkey as a weapon rather than food.

The turkeys and brandy are a core part of most leaders' strategies. Leaders who share the feast generally do so under the assumption that it will foster loyalty amongst his fighters. Leaders who keep the feast to themselves do so for several reasons. Some hope to use the energy boost from a good meal to keep themselves fighting until the end (and to keep themselves ready for the moment when they will have to contend with their own armies). Some hope that by depriving their armies of food that they will establish a clear alpha/beta relationship. Others yet believe that sharing the feast would be a sign of weakness, putting it into the minds of their armies that they are too weak to continue without back-up.

The turkeys are rarely anything especially mouth-watering. Often, the birds are purchased "ready-made" from local grocery stores or delis. On a few rare occasions, however, higher-quality turkeys are supplied by fans of the GOF or by supporters of leaders. The turkeys must always come from the same source, however.

In recent GOFs, the brandy is almost always a widely-available, consumer-priced brand. Christian Brothers is popular. In earlier years, the brandy was sometimes from private stocks.

In 1966, Homer Lope, the leader of a small and dwindling army, decided to share his turkey, but after taking a bite from it, he declared it to be completely unappetizing (it is believed that the turkey may have been spoiled), seized it from his army, and hurled it at an opposing army member. The thrown turkey did not connect. Lope was eliminated soon after.