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Vinyl Cafe #5.5
Dave Cooks the Turkey
Hapless Dave is at it again, promising his beloved wife Morley that he will take care of the Christmas turkey while she takes the kids to work at the food bank. Dave fails to realize quite what's involved, and the result is a Homeresque struggle to beat all the odds and somehow get an unappetizing, frozen, and slightly scarred bird home and roasted in time for Christmas dinner—before Morley cooks Dave's goose.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published October 31, 2006
196 people want to read
About the author
Stuart McLean
106 books268 followersLibrarian Note: There was more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
From the Vinyl Cafe web site: Stuart McLean was a best-selling author, award-winning journalist and humorist, and host of CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe.
Stuart began his broadcasting career making radio documentaries for CBC Radio's Sunday Morning. In 1979 he won an ACTRA award for Best Radio Documentary for his contribution to the program's coverage of the Jonestown massacre.
Following Sunday Morning, Stuart spent seven years as a regular columnist and guest host on CBC's Morningside. His book, The Morningside World of Stuart McLean, was a Canadian bestseller and a finalist in the 1990 City of Toronto Book Awards.
Stuart has also written Welcome Home: Travels in Small Town Canada, and edited the collection When We Were Young. Welcome Home was chosen by the Canadian Authors' Association as the best non-fiction book of 1993.
Stuart's books Stories from the Vinyl Cafe, Home from the Vinyl Cafe, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged, Vinyl Cafe Diaries, Dave Cooks the Turkey, Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe and Extreme Vinyl Cafe have all been Canadian bestsellers. Vinyl Cafe Diaries was awarded the Canadian Authors' Association Jubilee Award in 2004. Stuart was also a three-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour for Home from the Vinyl Cafe, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged and, most recently, Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe.
Vinyl Cafe books have also been published in the U.S., the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.
Stuart was a professor emeritus at Ryerson University in Toronto and former director of the broadcast division of the School of Journalism. In 1993 Trent University named him the first Rooke Fellow for Teaching, Writing and Research. He has also been honored by: Nipissing University (EdD(H)); University of Windsor (Lld) and Trent University (DLH). Stuart served as Honorary Colonel of the 8th Air Maintenance Squadron at 8 Wing, Trenton from 2005 to 2008.
Since 1998 Stuart has taken The Vinyl Cafe to theatres across Canada, playing in both large and small towns from St. John's, Newfoundland to Whitehorse in the Yukon.
Close to one million people listen to The Vinyl Cafe every weekend on CBC Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio and on a growing number of Public Radio stations in the United States. The program is also broadcast on an occasional basis on the BBC.
From the Vinyl Cafe web site: Stuart McLean was a best-selling author, award-winning journalist and humorist, and host of CBC Radio program The Vinyl Cafe.
Stuart began his broadcasting career making radio documentaries for CBC Radio's Sunday Morning. In 1979 he won an ACTRA award for Best Radio Documentary for his contribution to the program's coverage of the Jonestown massacre.
Following Sunday Morning, Stuart spent seven years as a regular columnist and guest host on CBC's Morningside. His book, The Morningside World of Stuart McLean, was a Canadian bestseller and a finalist in the 1990 City of Toronto Book Awards.
Stuart has also written Welcome Home: Travels in Small Town Canada, and edited the collection When We Were Young. Welcome Home was chosen by the Canadian Authors' Association as the best non-fiction book of 1993.
Stuart's books Stories from the Vinyl Cafe, Home from the Vinyl Cafe, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged, Vinyl Cafe Diaries, Dave Cooks the Turkey, Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe and Extreme Vinyl Cafe have all been Canadian bestsellers. Vinyl Cafe Diaries was awarded the Canadian Authors' Association Jubilee Award in 2004. Stuart was also a three-time winner of the Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Humour for Home from the Vinyl Cafe, Vinyl Cafe Unplugged and, most recently, Secrets from the Vinyl Cafe.
Vinyl Cafe books have also been published in the U.S., the U.K., Australia and New Zealand.
Stuart was a professor emeritus at Ryerson University in Toronto and former director of the broadcast division of the School of Journalism. In 1993 Trent University named him the first Rooke Fellow for Teaching, Writing and Research. He has also been honored by: Nipissing University (EdD(H)); University of Windsor (Lld) and Trent University (DLH). Stuart served as Honorary Colonel of the 8th Air Maintenance Squadron at 8 Wing, Trenton from 2005 to 2008.
Since 1998 Stuart has taken The Vinyl Cafe to theatres across Canada, playing in both large and small towns from St. John's, Newfoundland to Whitehorse in the Yukon.
Close to one million people listen to The Vinyl Cafe every weekend on CBC Radio and Sirius Satellite Radio and on a growing number of Public Radio stations in the United States. The program is also broadcast on an occasional basis on the BBC.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
December 17, 2023
Cute! Read it aloud to a friend or family :) perfect for the holidays m.
December 26, 2019
Annual Christmas eve tradition... :)
December 23, 2019
This is one of the perennial must-reads/must-listens of the Christmas season! A timeless classic!
December 28, 2012
Oh so funny - if you love listening to Stuart on CBC and have gotten to know Dave and Morley, this is a great pick for Christmas - read it out loud to the family, or take turns reading. I read it this month to get into the spirit, and it made me laugh out loud.
April 9, 2024
A gift from Christmas 2021 (thanks, Mom!), this seemed like a good holiday read for this year. Although very brief, it was a delight.
For more than 20 years, Stuart McLean was the creator, writer, and host of a Canadian treasure called The Vinyl Café. Part story-telling, part variety show, the radio program and accompanying touring show featured McLean’s signature creation: the misadventures of Dave and Morley and their family and friends. Their experiences were at once familiar to many, and McLean had a knack for taking those familiar misunderstandings and mishaps of life and making them humorous and touching and memorable.
“Dave Cooks the Turkey” is a quintessential Dave and Morley story, wherein a seemingly simple Christmas activity – cooking the turkey – becomes fraught with slapstick humour and family pathos. No spoilers here; suffice to say, it all works out in the end and becomes legendary for Dave and for all of us. Many of the Dave and Morley stories are funny and poignant, but the Christmas ones are real gifts to us all.
While the story itself is a treat, it is made even better by reading aloud, as recommended by McLean himself in the introduction. Better than that even is to find a version of McLean himself reading it at a live event.
Fate: I will hang on to this one, keep it with my Christmas cards and decorations, and enjoy it each Christmas.
For more than 20 years, Stuart McLean was the creator, writer, and host of a Canadian treasure called The Vinyl Café. Part story-telling, part variety show, the radio program and accompanying touring show featured McLean’s signature creation: the misadventures of Dave and Morley and their family and friends. Their experiences were at once familiar to many, and McLean had a knack for taking those familiar misunderstandings and mishaps of life and making them humorous and touching and memorable.
“Dave Cooks the Turkey” is a quintessential Dave and Morley story, wherein a seemingly simple Christmas activity – cooking the turkey – becomes fraught with slapstick humour and family pathos. No spoilers here; suffice to say, it all works out in the end and becomes legendary for Dave and for all of us. Many of the Dave and Morley stories are funny and poignant, but the Christmas ones are real gifts to us all.
While the story itself is a treat, it is made even better by reading aloud, as recommended by McLean himself in the introduction. Better than that even is to find a version of McLean himself reading it at a live event.
Fate: I will hang on to this one, keep it with my Christmas cards and decorations, and enjoy it each Christmas.
January 5, 2019
Grabbed this off my Library's Holiday Reading shelf as a quick book to read and help me reach my 2018 Book Reading goal, even my librarian mentioned how its a good book.
I was amused and delightedly entranced into how Dave goes about to make sure this turkey gets successfully cooked and served for his Family's Christmas dinner.
I was amused and delightedly entranced into how Dave goes about to make sure this turkey gets successfully cooked and served for his Family's Christmas dinner.
December 21, 2025
A short story that is my second favourite tale at this time of year - right after Dicken's Christmas Carol. "Dave Cooks the Turkey" is full of delightful characters, laugh-out-loud moments and heat warming Christmas spirit! Enjoy!
PS - I still miss you (and your lovely story-telling voice) Stuart McLean!
PS - I still miss you (and your lovely story-telling voice) Stuart McLean!
December 25, 2018
It was funny briefly, but it starts with a note from McLean about the number of requests he used to get to tell the story - so he self-hyped a cheque the story couldn't cash. Maybe better in an audio book or if I were a part of a different demographic?
January 4, 2019
Cute Christmas story, it made me chuckle few times.
December 23, 2019
McLean is hilarious as usual as you go through a crazy whirlwind journey of Dave cooking a Turkey in time for Christmas. Definitely worth a yearly read :)
November 5, 2021
I laughed so hard that I nearly fell off the bed 😂
November 17, 2022
This short story was so hilarious - really enjoyed it and put me in the Christmas spirit
December 2, 2023
Quick easy read, with laugh out loud situations. Will read again at Christmastime.
January 12, 2024
Dave Cooks the turkey was hilarious to read, definetly recommend it if you love comedy books or shows
June 20, 2025
Classic Canadian Thanksgiving story
January 1, 2026
A hilarious short story to share with guests during the holidays!
December 2, 2016
Funny little story... hope I never forget to pick up my turkey for a holiday meal!!! LOL
December 20, 2022
Hilarious story. Stuart McLean is new to me, but I will look for more immediately!
February 12, 2025
Hilarious!
Read
December 16, 2011I first read this story years ago in one of the Vinyl Cafe books, and again more recently in Chapters before purchasing it for a family member. Hysterical every time.
September 23, 2012
Stuart McLean is a Canadian treasure and this is, arguably, his best short story. We read it aloud every Christmas.
December 31, 2012
Received the stand alone book for Christmas! I should do a story telling thing during the holidays now that I have this book :)
February 3, 2013
A hilarious short tale (only 22 pages) of what happens when a husband volunteers to lessen his wife's burden one Christmas, by cooking the turkey. A Canadian classic and a must read every Christmas!
December 3, 2014
3.5 stars I read this just before Thanksgiving and gave it to my family to read at Thanksgiving. Cute story well told
April 5, 2013
The story made me laugh so much and every Christmas I have to listen to it on CBC Radio.
December 27, 2023
This is an annual read in our house at Christmas time!!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰🎄🎄🎄🎄🎄🎅🏼🎅🏼🎅🏼
November 11, 2014
Good heavens, the only story that compares with this is Winfield's cooking the turkey in the oven on "clean". So funny.
October 9, 2015
Made me think :)
May 1, 2016
I would have given this 5/5 except there is nothing like hearing Stuart McLean telling the story himself at a Christmas concert. I love this story and love hearing it every year.
November 11, 2016
After a horrible couple of days, thank you Stuart - I needed Dave and his turkey to bring some sunshine into my day even if it was fleeting
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews