<p>Saw this on Facebook and thought it was an interesting question:</p>
<p>Agree or Disagree?: “Thanksgiving is a holiday of sides and more sides. If there is no turkey, I can live with that.”</p>
<p>I fully AGREE. Have some gravy for the mashed potatoes and I can wave goodbye to the turkey without a second guess - it’s all about the sides for me!</p>
<p>I agree! I don’t even like turkey, really.</p>
<p>I am ALL ABOUT the sides. Of course, being vegetarian, I couldn’t be paid to eat a turkey. Several of my family members feel the same way. I catered the turkey this year, but am making all the sides myself. It’s all about prioritizing, you know?</p>
<p>Gotta have the turkey! I love the way the house smells when the turkey is in the oven. For me the turkey is essential. And it tastes even better leftover.</p>
<p>If the turkey is good, it adds little to the meal. If it is bad (dry/tasteless), it can take away a lot from the meal. </p>
<p>I love turkey, but the sides really add to the turkey.</p>
<p>I don’t care about eating the turkey meat, but the permeating turkey smells and tastes are intrinsic to thanksgiving. Gravy from the turkey over the potatoes and stuffing. Stuffing that contains the essence of the turkey it is baked in.</p>
<p>Turkey is the highlight at our house. We learned to fry them when we lived down south and have continued the tradition. Our turkeys have a beautiful crisp skin, and are juicy, not greasy, inside. Plus it only takes half an hour to cook.</p>
<p>Excuse me, but how can you have “sides” without the Turkey?? You don’t have to eat it , but you need it to put the rest of the meal in context.</p>
<p>^^ Not necessarily. My kids would just put a big platter of mashed potatoes in the middle of the table and consider everything else “sides”. :)</p>
<p>We alternate between having a turkey and other meats for Thanksgiving. Last year we had a turkey so this year we will have roast duck and pot roast as the main meat dishes.</p>
<p>Other years when we didn’t do a turkey we have had a roast goose, and sometimes pork.</p>
<p>Love the turkey, the sides and the desserts. Probably like the mashed potatoes and gravy most of all, but how would we have the gravy without the turkey?</p>
<p>Give D2 a can of jellied cranberry sauce and a spoon, and she would be content to give all the rest a pass. Until the pecan pie was served…</p>
<p>I do like turkey, however, so when we have T’giving at my house, we have one.</p>
<p>I like the visual impact of the turkey on the platter, so we always do have it. My brother doesn’t eat poultry, so we always have something else. This year it’s glazed spiral ham.</p>
<p>It’s not the turkey…it’s the gravy that counts. Good gravy trumps everything.</p>
<p>I’m one of those who loves turkey. And stuffing. WITH giblets and cooked INSIDE the turkey if all possible. H discovered a local place that will either smoke or fry a turkey for you, and it’s the only way his relatives like it-if roasted they won’t eat it. So now we alternate. I admit I prefer roasted and that the big pan of stuffing isn’t the same, but oh well.</p>
<p>However, if not for the pie, I could take or leave it ALL, lol.</p>
<p>For me it’s not Thanksgiving without turkey.</p>
<p>H makes an amazing smoked turkey that everyone LOVES. It is awesome and not nearly as festive if he doesn’t make & bring it. YUM! He makes it for Thanksgiving and a few other special occasions, like sometimes Christmas and/or New Year’s and/or when the kids come to town.</p>
<p>It’s all about the Turkey…</p>
<p>The turkey is key because it’s something that’s served at my house only once or twice a year. </p>
<p>The sides and desserts are simply things that our family likes. And because our family likes them, they’re served often. There aren’t any special sides that we serve only on Thanksgiving.</p>
<p>No one likes turkey at my house. We have roast chicken. None of us eats gravy either.</p>