All holidays have their typical meals tied to them, but Thanksgiving stands out above them all. The whole point of the holiday is pretty much sharing food and being thankful for it, especially turkey. But is turkey even THAT good that it deserves to be thought of as the main dish? If you answered no, you’re correct. Today is the day that we all stop pretending we actually like turkey without judgment. It’s kind of dry, doesn’t have any super exciting flavor, and isn’t even visually appealing. So spread the word. 

But I know what you’re thinking, what would Thanksgiving be without a turkey?? The answer is simple: better. Better because without turkey, we don’t feel obligated to eat it which leaves room for more desirable dishes. There are countless other traditional Thanksgiving dishes that deserve the spotlight over the turkey. One of my personal favorites is mashed potatoes. There is no question that mashed potatoes should tower over turkey on Thanksgiving, yet it still brings the same Thanksgiving vibe.

Other than just a side being better than turkey, an even better option is replacing turkey all together with a whole different type of meat. For example, at Nevin’s family Thanksgiving, he says his grandma occasionally makes ribs in exchange for turkey. Genius. I bet they don’t even miss it. Similarly, Jordan’s family enjoys ham instead of turkey. These are just a couple families who finally accepted that there are better options out there and picked a main dish people actually enjoy. 

Also, not that I’ve ever made one before, but preparing a turkey correctly is an extremely time-consuming task. The bigger the turkey, the longer the cook time. For my family Thanksgiving, it takes around 5 hours in the oven. Aside from the cooking time, it also takes a fair amount of time and skill to carve a turkey. One wrong move and the turkey will be in a million pieces as opposed to slices. Sounds like too much work with little reward.  Mrs. Nottingham, DHS English teacher, agrees.  Mrs. Nottingham explains, “Making a turkey is a big pain!  First, I always forget that I need to start defrosting the turkey the week before, and then there is the disgusting task of pulling the neck and giblets out of the body cavity. UGH!!!  And finally, there are the hours of roasting and basting.  I could definitely do without the bother, especially when it doesn’t seem to be worth it.” 

On one last point, I feel like I can speak for the majority when I say there always seems to be an extreme amount of leftover turkey after Thanksgiving. On occasion, there might be leftover mashed potatoes or other sides, but it’s mostly turkey that fills my fridge for days after. It’s always the last to go because it’s the least desirable. So instead of having leftover, dry turkey in your fridge, this is your year to make the switch. Be a leader and cancel turkey.