Every Thanksgiving, students return home from the final exam study rush, and everyone flocks around the TV for the yearly Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and Thanksgiving Day football.
But, there’s one major thing that Thanksgiving brings to the table every year: the Thanksgiving meal.
Everybody has that one food that they would get seconds or thirds of at every Thanksgiving dinner. And, that food is different for everyone.
Around this time of year, the favorite Thanksgiving food is a hot topic all across campus.
But, what is a food that people wouldn’t go back for or wouldn’t reach for at all?
In a Google Form survey, sixteen university students raised their voices about their Thanksgiving hot takes. Each participant was asked to share their least favorite Thanksgiving food and why.
In the end, there was a tie in opinions for the least favorite food winner: stuffing and cranberry sauce with 4 votes each.
For stuffing, the consensus reached among participants was that the texture and combination of ingredients were off-putting, making the dish intimidating.
For cranberry sauce, its notorious reputation turns away most students, as well as the texture and taste, specifically the canned variety of cranberries.
The runner-ups were mashed potatoes and casseroles, each with 2 votes.
Some noted that their dislike of mashed potatoes were simply for the texture, not the taste.
One participant even highlighted gravy as the key factor in why they don’t enjoy mashed potatoes, as well as gravy itself.
Two casserole dishes were mentioned in the survey by participants: green bean and sweet potato casseroles.
The flavor combination of sweet potatoes and marshmallows got one of the participants to vote for the potato casserole, while the crunchy onions of the green bean casserole was the reason the other voter cast their vote.
The last dishes mentioned, all with 1 vote each, were yams, pecan pie, and turkey.
The reason among all voters? The texture of each dish was the most undesirable part for each participant.
This glimpse into the campus community’s Thanksgiving food takes were interesting, but one query remained: what happens to all of those foods they wouldn’t eat or the scraps they wouldn’t finish?
If throwing the food away would be wasteful, what’s their next alternative? The answer lies in their furry little friends.
As a bonus question, participants were asked if they fed their Thanksgiving scraps to their dogs, and what they would eat (though it probably would be anything).
Twelve participants stated that they fed their dogs some Thanksgiving leftovers. Most students noted that they give their dogs a taste or two of the classic Thanksgiving turkey.
Thanksgiving is a time to remember the gratitude you have for the dearest things in your life. Whether it is friends, family, partners, classmates, or every person you greet, this is a time for community and togetherness.
No matter the food one may or may not eat, this holiday is the time to reflect on the past year and all that has come and gone.
