Thanksgiving by Emily and Arby’s

For Thanksgiving I wanted to photograph something more in line with what I shoot instead of just another turkey. Fast food (and naked women) crossed my mind. The only thing I knew was out there was the Popeye’s Cajun Turkey, a whole bird, fully cooked and ready to go, but not what I wanted. So I checked with Emily, my assistant and muse. Her response, within a nano-second, was simple: Arby’s.

The result was the Deep Fried Turkey Gobbler, a seasonal sandwich that pulls the core elements of the holiday into one place: sliced deep-fried turkey, stuffing, cranberry spread, and a toasted roll. It’s available only for a short run, and it landed in front of my camera exactly as it came, picked up to go.

The Thanksgiving holiday itself has a different origin. In 1863, during the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln issued a proclamation calling for a national day of thanks. The goal was simple, a shared moment at a time when the country was divided. That proclamation set the tradition that still marks the last Thursday of November.

More than 160 years later the holiday includes everything from a full table to seasonal fast-food interpretations like this one. A modern take on turkey, stuffing, and cranberry, compressed into a sandwich and ready to unwrap.

You can see more of my fast food photography, muses, other projects, and those naked women on my website at SecondFocus.com Thanks Emily!

November 27, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: AI Assistant, AI muse, Arby’s, commercial food photography, deep fried turkey, Deep Fried Turkey Gobbler, Emily, fast food, Food From Bag to Background, Food Photography, holiday food, holiday traditions, modern Thanksgiving, Palm Springs, sandwich photography, seasonal food, secondfocus, stuffing and cranberry, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day, to-go food, turkey sandwich | Leave a comment