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Let's talk turkey. Specifically leftovers.

With many households in East Tennessee quite possibly drowning in a vast, collective pool of after-Thanksgiving leftover turkey, The Daily Times is here to help.

We've surveyed workers at several local markets and eateries to ask their favorite methods of dealing with turkey the day after, and the day after that, and the day after ... but you get the idea.

There are apparently three popular options when it comes to the best use of leftover turkey: make turkey pot pie, make turkey sandwiches or ... make anything that doesn't involve turkey.

Angie Marek, owner of Dolce's Bakery on High Street, falls firmly into the turkey pot pie camp.

"My mom makes turkey pot pie," Marek said. "I like it better than just plain turkey. Turkey is usually dry the next day, but if you put it in the pot pie, it gets all juicy."

At The Market at Washington and High, Spenser Rouse, who manages Laurel Creek Farm Meats, is a turkey sandwich man.

"At home, we make sandwiches," he said. "We just take a little mayonnaise, whatever bread is in the cupboard, a little pepper jack cheese, a little lettuce and tomato and slap it all together."

Turkey pot pie

His compatriot, Mike Adams, who manages Blue Moon Fish Company and Market Fresh Produce, belongs to the opposing school of thought.

"I would do a turkey pot pie or a soup," he said. "You can't go wrong with a pot pie, especially how the weather is. I don't have anything crazy up my sleeve."

At Grounded Coffee and More on High Street, owner Lisa Williams said that with seven children and five grandchildren, there wasn't much left of the two 18-pound birds she cooked for Thanksgiving, but there was enough left for a few "9 p.m. turkey, stuffing, cranberry jelly and Hellman's mayonnaise sandwiches. For some of my family that is the best part of Thanksgiving -- the sandwiches at 9 p.m. followed by pie."

Williams said turkey was one thing that her customers wouldn't find on the menu in the days after the holiday.

"By the time that people come in here, they don't want to see it -- no turkey grilled panini or anything."

At Lamar Amburn's Produce, 222 W. Church Avenue, Bobbee Amburn said her solution to leftover turkey is not to eat it. She's a vegetarian.

"I eat green beans, hash brown casserole, macaroni and cheese, slaw," she said.

At Tomato Head, Jeffrey Vincent supports the vegetarian option.

"I eat all the other stuff," Vincent said. "Sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, zucchini casserole and all kinds of good stuff. Really, the side dishes."

Tomato Head owner Mahasti Vafaie falls into the none-of-the-above category. She roasted a leg of lamb for Thanksgiving. She's planning to make a Moroccan soup, seasoned with mint and orange juice, with the leftovers.

Recreational uses

Of course, there are the solutions to leftover turkey that don't fit into any particular category except, um, creative. At Sullivan's Downtown, Jacob Slingluff said that his approach, after eating as much of a 25-pound turkey as possible, was recreational.

"The rest we put on the ground and let the cats play with it," he said, adding that one excited cat "got into the rib cage and slid the turkey halfway across the room. I really wish I had videotaped the slide."

Matt Payne, a waiter at Sullivan's, went for vegetarian.

"I cooked up a vegetable stir-fry: squash, zucchini, peppers, onions, carrots, broccoli, tofu and basmati rice," he said. "Steam it up, add a little soy sauce, and it really tastes good."

Allen Swank, owner of Swank's Jazz Restaurant and Bar, opted for amusement over pragmatism.

"We donate our leftover turkey to Dan Mizell over at Ciao Deli at The Market to use on their after-Thanksgiving special turkey sub. Just kidding. We actually use it to make a very swank turkey perfume to use while hunting for next year's meal."