What It Is
#ThanksgivingDinner documents the annual American feast on the fourth Thursday of November, centered on turkey, family gatherings, and food comas.
The Menu (Unchanging Since 1950)
The canonical Thanksgiving plate:
- Turkey (12-20 pounds for 8-10 people)
- Stuffing/dressing (in bird vs. separate debate)
- Mashed potatoes
- Gravy (turkey drippings)
- Cranberry sauce (canned vs. homemade war)
- Green bean casserole (cream of mushroom soup + fried onions)
- Sweet potato casserole (marshmallows vs. no marshmallows)
- Rolls/biscuits
- Pie (pumpkin, apple, pecan trinity)
The Turkey Discourse
Annual debates:
- Fresh vs. frozen (food snobs vs. normal people)
- Brine or not? (Alton Brown changed everything, 2002)
- Roast, fry, or smoke? (deep-fried turkey = dangerous but delicious)
- Dark meat vs. white meat (thigh people vs. breast people)
- Dry turkey crisis (every family has one bad cook)
Turkey alternatives (growing 2015+):
- Ham (Southern tradition)
- Prime rib (wealthy families)
- Tofurky (vegetarian option, culturally mocked)
- Individual Cornish hens (2020 pandemic trend)
The Pie Wars
Pumpkin pie supremacy:
- 50 million pumpkin pies sold annually
- Libby’s canned pumpkin 85% market share
- Cool Whip vs. real whipped cream
The cranberry sauce schism:
- Canned (perfect ridges, nostalgic) vs. homemade (fresh, chunky)
- Both sides passionately defend their choice