What Do You Like to Have at Thanksgiving Dinner?

Thanksgiving’s on Its Way!

Thanksgiving is coming right around the corner. People all across America are probably already doing their Thanksgiving dinner shopping. But the real question is….. What are they buying? Most people argue what are actually “Thanksgiving foods”. Whether the Thanksgiving main food is turkey or ham. What are everyone’s favorite sides and desserts because it seems like everyone has different views on what the foods for Thanksgiving are. Well I made a survey on google forms for people to vote on their favorite main dish, side dish, and dessert and posted it to my Snapchat story, Instagram story and my Facebook page. I got a total of 52 responses where people could also add their favorite dishes I missed as well. 

A Little Bit of History

First we’re going to start off with one of the biggest arguments around this time of the year. What is the real Thanksgiving main dish? In our history classes we are told that the main dish of thanksgiving is turkey which is true but it is also turkey and a combination of seafood and venison (the meat of antlered ungulates such as elk or deer) being the first Thanksgiving was in Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts this makes a lot of sense.

The Real Question is… Ham or Turkey?

The poll I took people stated their favorite main dish was turkey with a 59.6% vote out of 52 people. Most people believe that turkey is a Thanksgiving food while ham is for Christmas while others have other opinions but to each their own and if people don’t like it then I guess that’s too bad if they want to eat. Other people who put their own responses chose to eat one of their sides as a main dish instead because they don’t eat meat or other personal reasons. 

How Many Sides Can You Fit on Your Plate?

Now everyone has a different idea of what the ideal Thanksgiving side is. It’s nice to be able to see what everyone thinks it is. Many people believe that there is only stuffing, green bean casserole, rolls, stuffing, and mashed potatoes but there are so many more believe it or not. While a majority vote on the poll voted for mashed potatoes (48.1%) and green bean casserole (25%) some of the other suggestions in the other category were funeral potatoes, mac & cheese, sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts.

Like C’mon Who Doesn’t Like Stuffing?!

Isn’t it crazy how many different people can disagree on what the best Thanksgiving side is? The other thing people don’t think about is how many people don’t eat gravy with their mashed potatoes or how many people don’t like stuffing. Like c’mon who doesn’t like stuffing?!?! There are always so many different options for sides at the Thanksgiving table that people had a hard time voting for which their favorite was. 

Sweet Potato Pie is a Thing?

Everyones favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal is dessert… right? I feel like every family does their own kind of dessert dish specifically for their family so I wasn’t sure what to put down for the survey. I did my best with some options and pumkin pie was in the lead with a 46.2% vote. Following pumpkin pie was pecan pie with a 15.4% vote. Some people put in their own answers on the other option. Some of those answers were chocolate cake, sweet potato pie, and peach cobbler. I’ve never heard of sweet potatoes in a pie but to each their own I suppose. With there being so many different dessert options it makes sense that many people don’t agree on one certain dessert for Thanksgiving. 

Wishing Everyone a Happy Thanksgiving

Everyone might not agree on what the “typical” Thanksgiving food is but it was interesting to see everyones different opinions on food. Some people eat ham and some eat turkey. Some people like mashed potatoes and some like macaroni and cheese. Some people eat pumpkin pie and some eat cheesecake. Everyones different and no one should be judged on what they’d rather enjoy for their Thanksgiving meal. As long as people are enjoying good food and spending time with friends and family what does it really matter anyway. KWU Student Media is wishing everyone a happy Thanksgiving and if there might be any foods we missed in our poll let us know and maybe we can conduct another survey and get some more responses!

For some fun Thanksgiving recipes click here!