Thanks Giving Question

wannabee · 11-24-2011, 06:48 PM

Just curious, having never celebrated a thanks giving holiday I was wondering.

Is it mandatory to eat a stuffed roast turkey on thanks giving? Does anyone ever eat anything else? Like seafood or pie?

From what I've watched of American TV, Thanks Givings offers only two meal choices.
1/ Roast Turkey and 2/ Burnt Turkey.

With 300 million Americans all eating turkey there can't be many happy turkeys around next week.

The Terminator · 11-24-2011, 08:45 PM

Well I'm Canadian, but I've never had a thanksgiving without Turkey and stuffing.

Steven Lyle Jordan · 11-24-2011, 09:32 PM

Turkey is traditional, but some families eat roast beef or pork... Big family get-togethers often serve 2 or 3 of the above.

desertgrandma · 11-24-2011, 09:35 PM

Turkey AND ham at our house..........and we never stuff the turkey. Stuffing is baked in a separate dish.

And I think the only happy turkey at any time of year is the wild turkey........at least he has some chance of survival.......

Kevin8or · 11-25-2011, 01:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wannabee

Is it mandatory to eat a stuffed roast turkey on thanks giving? Does anyone ever eat anything else? Like seafood or pie?

I think some small % may eat something else, but Steven's hit the target: a second meat dish is common. My family likes lamb served with mint jelly. We've done ham, too, but roast beef only once that I recall.

The crab fishing season opens a week before Thanksgiving here. There are families who enjoy a Thanksgiving crab feast. It was in the news this week, because of a dispute between crab fishermen and wholesale buyers. There'll be no crab on this year's table.

Quote:

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

and we never stuff the turkey. Stuffing is baked in a separate dish.

Us, too. Stuffing inside a turkey might not be hot enough, long enough, to kill all bacteria. Besides, separately baked stuffing tastes better IMHO.

vivaldirules · 11-25-2011, 07:25 AM

We always have turkey, seldom stuffed. We will occasionally have a ham, too. The only times I can remember not having turkey was when I was in graduate school and unable to make it home. In those years, I would take a frozen pizza and add stuff to try to make it special. But more often than not, the wife of a friend would invite us lonely single guys over to their house to join their family at Thanksgiving dinner, which I always thought was awfully kind and fitting for the day.

kindlekitten · 11-25-2011, 11:47 AM

back when I used to have a real life and have 20-35 people over, I always did a prime rib roast as well as a Turkey which is never stuffed in my house, served on the side and called dressing. for some in the Northwest a salmon would also be traditional. I also used to do a leg of venison when I was still hunting, and that would be extremely traditional in the purest sense of the word

wannabee · 11-25-2011, 07:05 PM

Wow. Sounds like its a turkey on every table. Well I guess the turkeys must be bred all year and frozen to have that many turkeys for sale for the one day.

The Terminator · 11-25-2011, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin8or

Us, too. Stuffing inside a turkey might not be hot enough, long enough, to kill all bacteria. Besides, separately baked stuffing tastes better IMHO.

Us also, the stuffing is baked separately.

Kevin8or · 11-25-2011, 09:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wannabee

Wow. Sounds like its a turkey on every table. Well I guess the turkeys must be bred all year and frozen to have that many turkeys for sale for the one day.

So, I guess your impression was correct, except that most people cook the breaded dressing on the side, rather than within the turkey.

cromag · 11-26-2011, 04:42 AM

Not really "stuffing" if it isn't "stuffing" something ...

For several years we had the family over to our house for Thanksgiving. I never cooked a whole turkey -- I cooked a turkey breast in a very large crock pot (it will hold a 7.25 pound thawed turkey breast).

I cooked sweet potatoes in the merely large crock pot, whole green beans (on end) in a medium crock pot and hot dip in a small crock pot. The three big ones would go all night hooked up to a power strip. The dip in the small one only needed a few hours.

We did "stuffing" in a baking dish and several other vegetables on the stove or in the oven, but the crock pots handled the bulk of the job very nicely ... and saved a little bit of the work.

When I was a kid (late 50s, early '60s -ish) you could really only get turkeys from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Turkey became a common, year-round item in the '70s, if I recall correctly.

crich70 · 11-26-2011, 01:29 PM

Not everyone has turkey on Thanksgiving though it is pretty much associated with the holiday. I imagine not everyone in England has goose for Christmas either though it has become associated with the holiday thanks to A Christmas Carol. lol.

RainingLemur · 11-26-2011, 01:33 PM

The last couple of years, Mom has made a traditional turkey dinner. But, for a long stretch of years Dad would actually commandeer the kitchen and make a 7-course Italian meal with home-made gnocchi as the main-course and a tiramisu as a nice dessert.

Shimarenda · 11-27-2011, 01:27 PM

Not everyone does the turkey in the oven, either. I heard that my brother-in-law deep-fried his this year. Of course, that can be incredibly dangerous.

Bilbo1967 · 11-27-2011, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crich70

Not everyone has turkey on Thanksgiving though it is pretty much associated with the holiday. I imagine not everyone in England has goose for Christmas either though it has become associated with the holiday thanks to A Christmas Carol. lol.

I don't know anybody who has ever had goose at Christmas. Turkey is much, much more usual in my experience.

11-24-2011, 06:48 PM	#1
wannabee Media Bloke Posts: 2,382 Karma: 113956855 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NSW - Australia Device: iOS	Thanks Giving Question Just curious, having never celebrated a thanks giving holiday I was wondering. Is it mandatory to eat a stuffed roast turkey on thanks giving? Does anyone ever eat anything else? Like seafood or pie? From what I've watched of American TV, Thanks Givings offers only two meal choices. 1/ Roast Turkey and 2/ Burnt Turkey. With 300 million Americans all eating turkey there can't be many happy turkeys around next week.

11-24-2011, 08:45 PM	#2
The Terminator Retired Posts: 2,552 Karma: 37638420 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Vancouver Island Canada Device: Kobo Touch, Optimus One (2.3), Nexus 7 (4.2)	Well I'm Canadian, but I've never had a thanksgiving without Turkey and stuffing. Last edited by The Terminator; 11-25-2011 at 08:02 PM. Reason: I typed Turkey "Turnkey"

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11-24-2011, 09:32 PM	#3
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	Turkey is traditional, but some families eat roast beef or pork... Big family get-togethers often serve 2 or 3 of the above.

11-24-2011, 09:35 PM	#4
desertgrandma Enjoying the show.... Posts: 14,270 Karma: 10462843 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Arizona Device: A K1, Kindle Paperwhite, an Ipod, IPad2, Iphone, an Ipad Mini & macAir	Turkey AND ham at our house..........and we never stuff the turkey. Stuffing is baked in a separate dish. And I think the only happy turkey at any time of year is the wild turkey........at least he has some chance of survival.......

11-25-2011, 07:25 AM	#6
vivaldirules When's Doughnut Day? Posts: 10,059 Karma: 13675475 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Houston, TX, US Device: Sony PRS-505, iPad	We always have turkey, seldom stuffed. We will occasionally have a ham, too. The only times I can remember not having turkey was when I was in graduate school and unable to make it home. In those years, I would take a frozen pizza and add stuff to try to make it special. But more often than not, the wife of a friend would invite us lonely single guys over to their house to join their family at Thanksgiving dinner, which I always thought was awfully kind and fitting for the day.

11-25-2011, 11:47 AM	#7
kindlekitten Professional Adventuress Posts: 13,368 Karma: 50260224 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: The Olympic Peninsula on the OTHER Washington! (the big green clean one on the west coast!) Device: Kindle, the original! Times Two! and gifting an International Kindle	back when I used to have a real life and have 20-35 people over, I always did a prime rib roast as well as a Turkey which is never stuffed in my house, served on the side and called dressing. for some in the Northwest a salmon would also be traditional. I also used to do a leg of venison when I was still hunting, and that would be extremely traditional in the purest sense of the word

11-25-2011, 07:05 PM	#8
wannabee Media Bloke Posts: 2,382 Karma: 113956855 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: NSW - Australia Device: iOS	Wow. Sounds like its a turkey on every table. Well I guess the turkeys must be bred all year and frozen to have that many turkeys for sale for the one day.

11-26-2011, 04:42 AM	#11
cromag Surfin the alpha waves ~~ Posts: 26,125 Karma: 459735575 Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: New Jersey Device: Jetbook Lite & Mini, Nook STR, Kobo, Hanvon N516, Kindle 2, Androids	Not really "stuffing" if it isn't "stuffing" something ... For several years we had the family over to our house for Thanksgiving. I never cooked a whole turkey -- I cooked a turkey breast in a very large crock pot (it will hold a 7.25 pound thawed turkey breast). I cooked sweet potatoes in the merely large crock pot, whole green beans (on end) in a medium crock pot and hot dip in a small crock pot. The three big ones would go all night hooked up to a power strip. The dip in the small one only needed a few hours. We did "stuffing" in a baking dish and several other vegetables on the stove or in the oven, but the crock pots handled the bulk of the job very nicely ... and saved a little bit of the work. When I was a kid (late 50s, early '60s -ish) you could really only get turkeys from Thanksgiving to Christmas. Turkey became a common, year-round item in the '70s, if I recall correctly.

11-26-2011, 01:29 PM	#12
crich70 Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,310 Karma: 43993832 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Monroe Wisconsin Device: K3, Kindle Paperwhite, Calibre, and Mobipocket for Pc (netbook)	Not everyone has turkey on Thanksgiving though it is pretty much associated with the holiday. I imagine not everyone in England has goose for Christmas either though it has become associated with the holiday thanks to A Christmas Carol. lol.

11-26-2011, 01:33 PM	#13
RainingLemur Spork Connoisseur Posts: 2,355 Karma: 16780603 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Nook Color	The last couple of years, Mom has made a traditional turkey dinner. But, for a long stretch of years Dad would actually commandeer the kitchen and make a 7-course Italian meal with home-made gnocchi as the main-course and a tiramisu as a nice dessert.

11-27-2011, 01:27 PM	#14
Shimarenda Addict Posts: 230 Karma: 68186 Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Athens, Georgia Device: Kindle 3, Nook Tablet	Not everyone does the turkey in the oven, either. I heard that my brother-in-law deep-fried his this year. Of course, that can be incredibly dangerous.

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