GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER

The standard price of turkey this Thanksgiving season is 98 cents a pound, up a penny from the average last year.

But nobody pays the standard average price when bargain turkey prices can be found from 34 cents a pound and up.

As of Tuesday, the lowest prices in Cape Girardeau were 34 cents a pound for a 10-to-14-pound frozen turkey.

Other prices range from 37 to 39 cents a pound.

Shoppers have to spend $25 to $50 to receive the cut-rate prices, but many consumers will buy a number of "trimmings" -- sweet potatoes, pumpkin for pies and fresh vegetables -- anyway.

Thanksgiving ranks second to Christmas in consumer grocery spending.

Even without extra purchases, area customers are not paying the standard prices. Frozen turkeys can be found from 59 cents to 89 cents a pound, without additional purchases.

And a lot of turkeys are being purchased.

Ninety-one percent of all Americans have turkey on the menu for Thursday.

More than 45 million turkeys -- that's about 15 percent of the more than 300 million birds raised nationally -- will be prepared, according to the National Turkey Federation.

That translates into 675 million pounds of meat, or 2.6 pounds of turkey for every man, woman and child in the nation -- enough for a main meal plus leftovers.

For many Americans, the holiday turkey feast is nothing new. Forty percent of U.S. households have turkey on the menu throughout the year, although 35 percent of all turkey sales occur during the final two months of the year.

Some families put a "meleagaris gallapovo" on the Thursday dinner table. Turkey experts explain that meleagaris gallapovo is the scientific name for the American wild turkey. Thousands of wild turkeys are harvested each year.

Last year, Americans ate an average 18.4 pounds of turkey.

The menu can vary: Turkey sandwiches account for more than 40 percent of all turkey consumption, but among the ways of fixing the big bird are the traditional whole roasted turkey with all the trimmings for festive holiday feasts, turkey spaghetti pie, turkey tetrazzini, turkey enchiladas, turkey pumpernickel and others.

For those chefs who have problems, the Agriculture Department meat and poultry hot line -- 1-800-535-4555 -- will be staffed from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today, and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day to answer questions.

Recorded messages on various food topics are available on the hot line 24 hours a day.

Meanwhile, the price of a traditional prepared turkey dinner is a bargain.

Some groceries offer a completely cooked turkey, with all the trimmings, for $17.95.

That "carry-out" price includes a 9-to-11-pound turkey, complete with cranberries, gravy, rolls and dressing. Some of the "to-go" orders include a small pie.

Figure that cost out, and you're looking at a cost of $2.25 to $3 a person for a meal you don't have to cook.

A number of restaurants will offer traditional "Turkey Day" dinners for the eat-out crowd.