“What do you eat on Thanksgiving?” That’s the question people usually ask when they find out I’ve been a vegetarian for the past nine years.
Some folks get this crazy idea in their heads that vegetarians can eat vegetables and nothing else, and they are absolutely wrong.
Here is everything I plan on stuffing my face with on Thursday, Nov. 27—Thanksgiving day: mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing, crescent rolls, Brussels sprouts, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie, apple pie and pecan pie.
Clearly, I can eat everything but the turkey and gravy and still go into that Thanksgiving food coma everyone else experiences. I don’t eat that healthily, either, as some omnivores may assume. I’m pretty sure I have the world’s biggest sweet tooth with all the candy I ate after Halloween and all the pies I plan on baking for Thanksgiving.
Being vegetarian also doesn’t mean that I like all vegetables. When I was served green bean casserole for the first time at my boyfriend’s family Thanksgiving two years ago, I nearly lost my appetite. I say nearly because my boyfriend’s mom makes some mean mashed potatoes and stuffing, something I could not pass up.
Another misconception some assume is that I need to replace the bird with a rubbery, jello-y tofu version—a tofurkey. Tofu has a time and a place to be eaten, mainly in Asian dishes, and the Thanksgiving table is not it.
The turkey is not the end-all be-all of Thanksgiving dinner. I’m sure not many of you meat eaters are daydreaming about only a slab of turkey on your plates. What is Thanksgiving without the creamy potatoes? The buttery rolls? The sweet and delectable pies? What is Thanksgiving without the sides?
So in answer to your concerns about my Thanksgiving experience, I’ll make it clear once and for all: this Thanksgiving, I’ll be eating everything that is worth eating.
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