There truly isn’t a more food-centric holiday than Thanksgiving, as the whole day revolves around a feast that typically features turkey and a smorgasbord of sides. Naturally, this had led to much discussion over the years about what belongs at the table. Today, members of The Daily Campus’ life section share their thoughts on Thanksgiving food, from their favorite dishes to ones that they will pass on.
Dan Stark, Life Editor, he/him, daniel.stark@uconn.edu
I’m going to start off with a take that many will disagree with: mac and cheese does not belong at Thanksgiving dinner. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a great dish of homemade mac and cheese as much as the next man, but there’s too much contrast between that and the rest of the typical Thanksgiving dishes. It’s never been a part of Stark Thanksgivings – mainly because I was always the only kid there growing up – and I don’t think it should be anytime soon.
A dish that I think should be a part of more Thanksgiving dinners are brussel sprouts. When cooked right by sautéing them with some garlic, they provide a great accompaniment to the heaviness of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy. They’re a fun alternative to the outdated and overhyped green bean casserole that has held a monopoly on the Thanksgiving vegetable market for far too long.
Thaddeus Sawyer, Staff Writer, he/him, thaddeus.sawyer@uconn.edu
I have a well-known reputation as a picky eater. Let me put it into the context of the holiday for you: I’ve never had pie. I didn’t try turkey until I was in college. If it’s green, it’s not on my Thanksgiving dinner plate. In fact, not many other foods usually are either.
For this reason, Thanksgiving has become one of my least favorite holidays. Am I thankful for my family and friends? Yes. Do I need an entire day of weird food concoctions to observe that fact? Nope. Why are we putting marshmallows on sweet potatoes? When else in the year does that happen? Thanksgiving is a bloated excuse for food combinations that a heavily-concussed football player, of which there are many on Thanksgiving, couldn’t realistically invent in even the wildest of head trauma-induced fever dreams.
That’s why, this year and every year, I will stick with a healthy helping of unbuttered dinner rolls. Nothing fancy or special; just good old-fashioned processed dough stuck in an oven for 12 minutes. That’s what I’m thankful for.
Alex Klancko, Campus Correspondent, he/him, ivb24001@uconn.edu
The best Thanksgiving dish has to be the dinner rolls, but because Thaddeus already said that, I will choose pumpkin pie. Nothing, other than bread rolls, beats pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. I have a lot of issues with textures and tastes, and pumpkin pie is a dessert I have no issues with. The texture of pumpkin pie filling is amazing as well; it’s not too mushy, not too hard and not too slimy, making it the perfect blend. Even though the crust is too rough and flakey for my liking and overall tastes super bland, the pumpkin filling makes up for the crust’s lackluster qualities.
The worst Thanksgiving dish is pecan pie. Pecans already don’t taste good by themselves, so adding them to a pie with little to no flavor is not a good idea. Along with a bland crust, the texture of the filling is too gooey and slimy for my liking. I’ve had pecan pie multiple times now and each time it gets worse.
Max Muller, Campus Correspondent, he/him, jyv24001@uconn.edu
The best dish in the Thanksgiving meal for me has to be the leftovers. I like all of the food fresh out of the oven too, but sitting around the table and talking about what makes us feel grateful feels forced. Thankfully, though, my family usually makes enough that we can have leftovers for the week after Thanksgiving. I like to make sandwiches with the leftover turkey and stuffing on ciabatta bread, and since I can eat it separate from my family, I usually enjoy it more.
There is one part of the Thanksgiving spread that I can’t stand and that’s canned cranberry jam. Every other part of the meal either tastes great or looks appetizing, but the canned jam is a rebel. It’s bright red and cylindrical, so it stands out against the more food-shaped food items and calls a lot of attention to itself that it doesn’t deserve.