If Turkey Tracker isn’t the quintessential Portland Thanksgiving activity, I don’t know what is

We here in good old Portland love our food. And we love our technology. And we love the Web. But far too often those loves remain separate and distinct. I mean, sure there’s some crossover—Whiffies and KoiFusion jump to mind—but by and large, our food and tech are usually two completely different realms.

Well not anymore, my friend. Now you can have holiday fun, tasty eats, and a good dose of Web-enabled turkey technology—all as part of Thanksgiving—thanks to Portland-based Turkey Tracker, the best Web-based Thanksgiving you’ll ever see.

Sure, sure. I hear you. “We’ve got our family football game.” “We like to watch the pro games on the tube.” “We’re cooking all day.”

Well, forget all of that. If the Pilgrims had had the Interwebs, this is how they would have spent Thanksgiving. Trust me.

Revel in the preparation of the turkey and all the trimmings. Learn more about libations that will make your Thanksgiving more jolly. Astound at appetizers that will have you wanting more.

I mean, literally wanting more. You see, Turkey Tracker all takes place on your machine. You’re a virtual participant in their timely turkey preparation. No muss. No fuss. Unless of course you start licking your monitor or something.

So grab your centerpiece, your festive salt and pepper shakers, your baster, and your potato masher and park your little heinie in front of your machine, and get set to revel in all of the Thanksgiving preparation vicariously.

I mean, come on. They’re livestreaming the turkey prep. They’re answering questions from the audience. They’ve even gone all dorkbot on some gadgets to track the turkey temperature. What, I ask, could be better than this?

That’s right. Nothing. Nothing tastes as good as being geeky feels.

Still not convinced? Well, maybe this recent Ignite Portland presentation will help.

http://blip.tv/play/AYGxj3UC

Want to get in on the fun? Join the Turkey Tracker Flickr group and you’ll get the chance to submit your own tasty turkey images to appear on the Turkey Tracker homepage.

Finally—and honestly most importantly—the Turkey Tracker folks are raising money for the Oregon Food Bank. And that, alone, makes it worth your time to visit the site. Even if you’re of the vegan persuasion. (NOTE: There are no meat products displayed on the pledge link above.)

And if you really must step away from your machine or go play football or whatever, make sure to follow Turkey Tracker on Twitter so that you don’t miss out on one delicious second of this Turkey Day spectacle.

For more information or to join in on the tracking of the turkey, visit Turkey Tracker.

(Image courtesy eyeliam. Used under Creative Commons.)