In light of Thanksgiving, we encouraged students to share their opinions, which led to an engaging poll about Thanksgiving food preferences such as turkey versus stuffing, mashed potatoes versus cornbread, sweet potato casserole versus pie, apple pie versus pecan pie, and cranberry sauce versus coleslaw. By the way, who eats coleslaw for Thanksgiving? If you do, my apologies.
Arguably, the most shocking vote in this year's Thanksgiving food poll was turkey losing to stuffing 48% to 52% – I could not believe my eyes! The preference between turkey and stuffing is subjective and often depends on individual taste preferences. However, turkey is the traditional centerpiece of a Thanksgiving meal and provides a delightful and tasteful main course. There are so many significant aspects of the turkey, one being the white meat, often considered the leaner and milder in flavor part of the turkey and can be drier if overcooked. I know many people who enjoy that part of the turkey. However, my favorite is the darker meat, which tends to be juicier and has a richer flavor. On the other hand, stuffing offers a flavorful and textured side dish that can be made with various ingredients such as adobo, sofrito, season, onions, and peppers and complements the turkey. I have consistently grown up experiencing the stuffing being baked inside the turkey, so I personally cannot fathom ranking stuffing above the turkey.
This will be a hot take, and I am prepared for the repercussions, but I don't like mashed potatoes. So, seeing mashed potatoes vs. cornbread results is not shocking, but still a little hurtful. Mashed potatoes ran away in this competition, beating cornbread 78% to 22%. While mashed potatoes, typically dressed with butter and salt, have a soft and creamy texture, cornbread has a dense and crumble-like texture with a sweet and salty flavor. Both dishes are pretty versatile and complement savory or sweet dishes well. I find cornbread's sweet aspect most appealing and desirable in a Thanksgiving dish, especially when starches such as sweet potato casserole, mac and cheese, and rice and peas are already served. It's worth noting that mashed potatoes and cornbread are beloved staples.
The choice between sweet potato casserole and regular pie (assuming a pumpkin, apple, or pecan pie) often comes down to personal taste preferences. However, sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top does the job for me, but yet again, I was outvoted on the AU poll. Students favored pie over sweet potato casserole, 70% to 30%. Sweet potato casserole offers a unique, sweet, and savory flavor that I cannot get enough of. My mom tops the dish with marshmallows, making the top crunchy and even more indulgent. However, I understand why many individuals love pie. Pie’s classic and comforting familiar flavors will draw many in, but I would argue if you are looking for a more sweet, savory, and rich flavor with a crunchy topping, sweet potato casserole is the way to go.
Who eats coleslaw? Coleslaw is usually a staple in picnics or famously paired with barbecue dishes, but when you think about Thanksgiving dinner, are you eating picnic-style or seasoning your turkey with barbecue sauce? According to the AU polls, 32% of students eat their Thanksgiving picnic-style this year, while 68% will eat inside with their cranberry sauce. Unlike coleslaw, cranberry sauce offers more than a sweet taste to counteract the savory turkey. Cranberry sauce, just like this one, can be sweetened with brown sugar and vanilla extract while still maintaining the perfect amount of tartness from the cranberries themselves, and orange juice will have you feeling like Remi from Ratatouille when he was experimenting with food for the first time.
Maybe it was just the specific pecan pie I had, but when I took a bite out of that pie for the first time, it was as if I was eating straight sugar – and not in a good way. Pecan pie mixes eggs, butter, sugar, and cooked pecans. Depending on how one makes it, it can come with white or brown sugar, corn syrup, sugar syrup, molasses, maple syrup, or honey. I can appreciate a good dessert, but this particular dessert just doesn’t make the cut for me or for 68% of AU students. We can all agree that the sour undertones in the apples, even after being cooked, balance out the pie's overall sweetness.
Whatever you eat this Thanksgiving, I hope you enjoy it and the time with family and friends. Thanksgiving has been and will always be a time for families and friends to gather together and celebrate love, togetherness, and gratefulness. From the legendary turkey, where the debate between white and dark meat never dies, to the battle between savory sweet potato casserole and old-fashioned pie, the dinner table displays culinary excellence. Let's not forget the cranberry sauce and, apparently, coleslaw… igniting nationwide debate every year. Thanksgiving food depicts tradition, lifestyle, culture, personal taste, and the diverse histories of every family that partakes in the celebration on the last Thursday of every November. As some of us go home for the holiday, we must remember the food on our plate is more than just a reminder of how our families showcase their skills in the kitchen; it is also a reminder that the foundation of Thanksgiving is portrayed through the monumental moments and love spread all throughout the year.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.