Thanksgiving is coming up in a couple weeks. It's one of the best holidays in America, a tremendous tradition where family and friends get together at the dinner table and feast. However, there's one constant during this holiday that I think we should seriously rethink. Why are we so committed to having turkey every year?
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This goes for ham and any other of the main traditionalist meats served on Thanksgiving. Baked chicken, turkey, ham, beef roast, all of it. At best, you get something that's serviceable. In the case of turkey and ham specifically, there's a reason we only bust out these whole slabs of meat once a year. Nobody wants to do all that work in the first place and the leftovers only thrive in sandwich form. You can get that at the deli!
Let's be honest here: Thanksgiving is an all star game for the sides. Mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese, stuffing, cornbread, even your cranberry sauce stack sky high over any of your main dishes. I've never gone back for seconds on any of the main dishes. Why don't we try something else if this is the case?
Reject Thanksgiving Tradition and Leave The Turkey and Ham Behind
I think we should change the way we proceed with Thanksgiving tradition. Essentially, every November is a feast with the family and friends. Consequently, why don't we treat it the way we would a cookout? Sure, your argument might be that it's not as special because it's not specific to the holiday. You can do a cookout any day of the year. This is a special day. However, many of the dishes aside from its main are foods that you can have just about any other day too. Why not uproot tradition entirely and celebrate the holiday's spirit and not its typical eats?
Personally, you might see my household do some fried chicken or a fish fry this Thanksgiving. Additionally, try out any kind of cuisine, go Italian, Mexican, Indian food, bust out the barbeque or the canola oil. Otherwise, it'll be another year where the sides take centerstage.
