Is Thanksgiving food really worth the hype? 

As the holidays are approaching, so are the seasonal menus and fall-favorite foods.  Thanksgiving is a holiday known not only for the family gatherings and traditions, but the food too. Arguably, food is the staple of Thanksgiving. When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of sitting around the table with my close family, feasting on turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, pie and rolls. But, when I really think about it, the food is the worst part of the day. 

Sure, it depends who makes it, but both store-bought and homemade turkey is dry and tasteless. “I do not like Thanksgiving food because it’s always dry,” said Dylan Elder ‘27.

On the other hand, many people enjoy the traditional food on Thanksgiving, “Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday and that’s simply because of four key components; stuffing, cornbread, tamales and apple cider,” said Ramona Cavalheiro ‘27.

In my opinion, Thanksgiving food is boring. While I’m aware of the origins of the traditional foods, I do think that there are better, more flavorful and exciting additives or alternatives. One easy way to spice up a basic Thanksgiving dinner is with homemade garlic dinner rolls and herb butter, which is my personal favorite side dish of the holiday. A fun substitute for turkey could be prime rib. It is much more flavorful than turkey and provides around the same serving size. This may go against the conventional main dish, but the holiday does not revolve solely around turkey, although some people may say so.

“I like Thanksgiving food because I enjoy eating food and thanksgiving food is something different that I don’t eat on an everyday basis,” said River Grinsel ‘27.

The most common dessert at Thanksgiving is pumpkin pie, which personally, I think is very overrated. I would much rather enjoy cinnamon sugar cookies, brownies or even s’mores instead of the more traditional fruit pies and cobblers.

Some say that substituting the long-established, standard Thanksgiving foods goes against the conventional practices of the holiday, or even defeats the purpose of it. However, as long as you are spending time with loved ones or expressing thankfulness, it doesn’t matter the food that you are eating.