Butterball Turkey Help Hotline Hires Its First Male Operators

For years, the Butterball company’s annual Turkey Talk Line—which provides sage (LOLOLOL) wisdom to hapless holiday turkey chefs—has been staffed entirely by female turksperts. Now, for the first time ever in its 32-year history, a few male staffers are breaking through the gravy ceiling and manning the Turkey Talk phones.

Via CTV:

“It’s the perfect time, because we have seen more and more men involved in Thanksgiving dinner,” said Mary Clingman, director of the Butterball Turkey line. When the talk line started, only about 9 per cent of calls that came in were from men. But now, about one in every four calls are from men, she says.

Butterball, based in Garner, N.C., will offer an online application for men age 25 and up to apply to be the spokesman for the line or one of the operators, via its Facebook page. The spokesman, who will man the help line and offer turkey tips via media appearances, can be based anywhere but hotline operators should live near Chicago, where the hotline is operated.

…Most operators have a background in food or nutrition and have culinary degrees or are dietitians, food stylists or scientists. They all take a crash course in turkey making at the Butterball University training program, as well.

But the main requirement: “You have to want to help people,” Clingman says.

Because cooking is women’s work, except for the kind of cooking that wins awards and is treated like fine art, in which case it’s for MANLY MAN-CHEFS ONLY.