It's time to check your fridge and freezer, turkey lovers: In the wake of an outbreak of salmonella in at least 26 states, resulting in dozens of illnesses and the death of one California resident, meat-maker Cargill has announced a massive recall targeting a whopping 36 million pounds of ground turkey. more ›

A California resident has died after becoming ill from an antibiotic-resistant salmonella strain they contracted after eating contaminated ground turkey. "A California Department of Public Health spokesman said that the death was one of two cases of the illness reported in Sacramento County," reports KTLA. more ›

With little progress being made to avert an NBA lockout a Turkish professional team is in talks to sign Kobe Bryant. Istanbul's Besiktas club made an offer to Bryant this week according to the L.A. Times. Kobe is said to be meeting with Besiktas officials in Istanbul on Saturday, reports SBNation. more ›

Approximately 54,960 pounds of Jennie-O frozen, "raw turkey burger products" may be contaminated with Salmonella prompting a nationwide recall, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS). more ›

There is one group of Los Angeles Lakers fans who are booing team player Kobe Bryant, but not for anything he's doing on the court. The Armenian community is angry about Bryant's just-announced endorsement deal with Turkish Airlines, according to CBS2, stirring up deep-rooted discord between the nations. more ›

If the official president-pardoned turkey, and their "understudy" want to celebrate their holiday reprieve at Disneyland, they're going to have to buy a ticket. Disney has announced that after a five-year tradition, this Thanksgiving the theme park will not host the forgiven fowl, says the OC Register. more ›

Do not gobble! Approximately 2,600 pounds of fully cooked, ready-to-eat smoked turkey breasts products sold by New Braunfels Smokehouse in Texas and distributed distributed nationwide may be contaminated with the dangerous bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, reports KTLA. more ›

Here's to Your Health is a deeper look into the health issues of the day. Recently, we've looked at the Power Plate and declawing. Today, we explore the wonders of Thanksgiving... more ›

As part of a tradition that goes back to the late 1940s, President Barack Obama, along with daughters Malia and Sasha, this morning in Washington "pardoned two turkeys that are heading to Disneyland, where they will star in a parade and live out their days," reports the OC Register. more ›

It started with one fateful slap: In 1989 actress Zsa Zsa Gabor delivered a swift smack to the Beverly Hills Police officer who pulled her over during a traffic stop. As part of her sentence Gabor was sentenced to perform community service at the Vera Davis McClendon Youth & Family Center. But the 92-year-old Gabor didn't end her affiliation with the family center when she put in her time. "After completing her service, she and her husband began buying 200 frozen turkeys for delivery to the charity each Thanksgiving," according to the Daily News. more ›

Pumpkin, the turkey pardoned by President Bush on Wednesday in Washington DC, was honored as the grand marshal at Disneyland's Thanksgiving Day Parade today in Anaheim. He, along with Pecan--the backup turkey--will now be part of the park's holiday display of live reindeer. After that, the two will retire to Disneyland's Big Thunder Ranch in Frontierland. more ›

Takami Sushi & Robata Restaurant in downtown LA is trying to get into the holiday spirit by combining its fusion motif (Japanese Tacos, Deep Fried Cheese on a Stick with Shrimp, anyone?) with Thanksgiving. more ›

Is it lunchtime yet? We'll give you a moment to check a clock. You back? Okay, now let's talk turkey. Like, this turkey sandwich lunch snapped by LAist Featured Photos contributor kristi.nicole. Like for many of you, lunch is often born of convenience--whatever time you get and whatever place is handy. And although our photog doesn't say much about her turkey sandwich, she does have some thoughts on where it came from:

I don't frequent chains too often, but I am fortunate enough to work around the corner from a Champagne Bakery. Their curry chicken salad sandwich (served on a croissant) is yummy! They also have a pretty good selection of salads (the chopped salad being my favorite) and quiches as well. more ›

One of the most enjoyable aspects of celebrity fashion is what I’ll call the superiority factor. You know, the sneering satisfaction that you or I can take in seeing someone who has all the money and fashion consultants in the world and still looks like they got dressed in a lightless closet stocked with Salvation Army rejects. On Oscar Sunday, your television screen will offer the best opportunity to see which stars haven’t gotten it right. more ›

You may have heard that February is Breakfast month here at LAist, in which we celebrate the glory that is the morning meal. But our celebration is twinged with sadness for those who may have been fans of the a.m. food fare served up at Starbucks. The company has announced they are ditching their breakfast sandwiches and declaring that their Mission: Lure Customers Back from Fast Food Joints that Sell Breakfast Eats that Include Some Form of Protein was ultimately unsuccessful. more ›

Happy New Year from LAist and your brand new Food Editor! I've arrived home refreshed from a fantastic vacation in the Philly/New Jersey area, and now I'm revved up and ready for the New Food Year. It was difficult to leave Philadelphia and its fabulous dining options behind (cheesesteaks are only the tip of the iceberg), but nothing beats Los Angeles for its range of offerings. Here's my wish list for places to go, ingredients to cook, and meals to eat in 2008. What's tops on your list of must-eat destinations and recipes this year? more ›

1. Cajun Style Deep Fried Turkey from Miss Peaches. See above. It's off the hook. 2. A seemingly endless supply of ethnic restaurants in Los Angeles. This is such a great place to be a food blogger. 3. LAist, of course. 4. Del Taco, which is actually open today. 'Cause when you're cooking up something ridiculous for dinner, the last thing you want to worry about is making lunch. 5. My Fujifilm camera --... more ›

3,000 homeless plus 400 volunteers makes for a festive mood at a Skid Row Thanksgiving Dinner today. More Downtown holiday news at blogdowntown. 1.85 million. That is how many people expected to be traveling in, out and through LAX this holiday weekend. That number is almost half of Los Angeles' population! NPR gives out 9 tips on how to have a more eco-friendly Thanksgiving. Tip #3, skip the Turkey and go for native protein... more ›

For many of you, this week is all about Turkey Day. For others, it's still all about The Strike. For me? This week will go down in history not because of the strike or Thanksgiving, but because the most awesome video game of all time, Rock Band, was released yesterday. I got my kit set up and ready to go within minutes, and began rocking out almost immediately. First impressions? The drumming element is... more ›

Remember that tear-jerking story-song, Rocky? She said, "Rocky, I never cooked Thanksgiving before, don't know if I can do it... but if you'll let me lean on you, and take my hand, I might get through it..." Thanksgiving is actually much easier than a lot of dinners I've cooked. It's one of the easiest. People just become intimidated by the sheer size of everything, and the fear of being judged. Just think of it... more ›

I love the fair. Absolutely love it. Why you ask? Well, it could be the awesome carnival rides. Or it could be the adorable animals. Or it could even be taking those "Olde Tyme" photographs with my friends (oh, you know that you love to dress up in Saloon outfits and pose with a shotgun!). But honestly, there is only one thing that revs me up for the fair. One thing that gets me dreaming... more ›

John Marshall Evans became the US ambassador to Armenia in August 2004. Six months later he visited California and was convinced by Armenian-Americans here to cut the political B.S. and simply say that the 1.5 million Armenians who were the victims of genocide at the hands of the Turks from 1915 and 1923... were indeed victims of genocide. Today President Bush will tapdance around the word in fear of insulting our ally Turkey, a... more ›

This man had balls people Devastating to our local Armenian community and those of us who enjoy free speech, editor of Agos Armenian Daily newspaper in Turkey, Hrant Dink, was assassinated. "The assassination of Mr. Dink is not only an attack on the Armenian community of Turkey; it is an assault on freedom of speech, truth, and justice everywhere," Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said on Friday. "Mr. Dink spoke frankly and courageously about the history... more ›

more ›

more ›

Rarely do we at LAist hype the opening act of a show twice in the same hour, but Gogol Bordello deserves the love. If The Pogues, The Clash, and Borat were molested by a traveling pack of female Gypsies on the outskirts of Turkey and produced soccer-jersey wearing rockers, you'd have this band who was one of the highlights of last year's SXSW festival. They are loud, funny, fun, raucous, and their energy is... more ›

Chirac sez that Turkey shouldn't be allowed in the EU unless it admits to killing 1.5 million Armenians back in the day. - LA Daily News Dude who got mugged for $20,000 after leaving Washington Mutual in Palmdale blames new bank design. - LAT UCLA scientist gets $3.8 million to study a radical new approach to pinpoint schizophrenia. For $380 we would have just given them our Little Black Book. - CBS2 "Open Season"... more ›

a grand idea The LA Times gets a preview of the Frank Gehry design for the Grand Avenue development downtown, which will be unveiled at a press conference this morning. That's Gehry and partner Chris Webb in the photo above, with their model. more ›

Being stranded or alone in Los Angeles can be a bit daunting, and sometimes downright scary. On the other hand, the freeways and streets turn into traffic free islands of Shangri-La that make staying in town worth it. Even if you don't have to go anywhere for anything, just pretend you're running a big errand, and marvel at how little time it will take you to go from Santa Monica to Glendale and back. Try it. We dare you. And if you think the driving is good over Thanksgiving, try it during the holidays in December. You'll be sorry to see folks come back. more ›

Quick, what to do if you have vegan friends or relatives coming over for the holidays? Do you say, "let them eat salad!" No, here's what you do, order a vegan Thanksgiving To-Go feast from Real Food Daily. Look what you get for $39.95: more ›