Top Six Thanksgiving Foods
by Riley Holcomb
photo courtesy of Pexels
Thanksgiving is one of the most underrated holidays. Since it is right in between Halloween and Christmas, most people tend to overlook its importance. However, this day is special for many reasons. Yes, it is a time to spend with friends and family, but more importantly, it is an entire day dedicated to eating the most amazing food.
Everyone has their own way of celebrating Thanksgiving. Whether it is going to the store to buy a pre-cooked turkey and frozen dinner rolls, or spending a whole week cooking and baking the different foods for their large family, it all turns out the same with a food baby in the end. In order to make this Thanksgiving dinner the best one yet, here is a list of all the foods people should have at their dining table this year.
The most important item on the list is, of course, the turkey. It is the centerpiece of the table and represents all the hard work and dedication that it took to make the meal. The one thing that must be remembered is that it needs to thaw before cooking. This is the basic joke in almost all holiday movies where the dumb uncle leaves it in the refrigerator until ten minutes before everyone is about to eat. So remember to do this unless you want to be the dumb uncle at this year’s Thanksgiving dinner.
The next best part of this holiday meal are the potatoes. They can be cut up into little pieces and roasted with spices in the oven, or mashed up and served with gravy, the most traditional way of serving them. The dinner becomes even better when your aunt brings over her famous sweet potatoes cooked in the oven with brown sugar and marshmallows.
Another important aspect of the dinner is the stuffing. This can be made in many different ways. Some people take the easy route and buy it premade at the store, while others go all out and make it from scratch. They cut up a loaf of bread into little squares, mix it together with some vegetables, and all of a sudden they have made a masterpiece.
There is not a single Thanksgiving dinner that doesn’t have cranberry sauce. People either love it or hate it; there is no in-between. Those who like it often spend the whole dinner trying to convince the haters to eat it anyway, but most of the time they fail. This is usually paired with the turkey, but if someone is feeling brave enough, they might even mix it in with their stuffing, too. It adds a tart, yet sweet, flavor that tends to make everything just a little bit better.
The green bean casserole is the one food that parents love and kids hate—after all, it tends to be the only vegetable in the whole dinner. The crunchy bread crumbs on top and the flavorful green beans below make this the perfect dish to feel like you are being healthy when actually, you are not at all.
Last, but certainly not least, is the famous pumpkin pie. If there is no pumpkin pie at a Thanksgiving table, it’s not even Thanksgiving anymore. Everyone wants to eat it because it tastes so good, but they physically can’t because otherwise the button on their pants will pop off. However, despite the ten-pound food baby already, everyone always eats it. It is a crime if you don’t.
“This is the best part of the whole dinner,” said Cassie McKiernan (Questrom ’22). “It tastes like fall and reminds me of the holidays.”
All in all, these are just some of the most popular foods that people eat during their Thanksgiving feast. Everyone has their own traditions and ways of celebrating, and no matter what they are, it ends up being a great time spent with friends and family. So enjoy the week off of school, relax and have a Happy Thanksgiving!