Thanksgiving: Turkey or Ham

[ofrfxsk]

My family has always done both but my spouse's family has only ever had turkey. TURKEY! If you bring anything pig related except bacon on the green bean casserole, there is a possibility of death which is completely beside the point of this survey.

So, how does your family handle this age old American holiday dilemma?
Thank you in advance.

Edit: What state is your family from?

[WindRavenX]

1. Dumb Q:

Why would anyone do ham? Turkey = goodness.

[Placebo]

2. My thoughts exactly.

Turkey all the way!

[WindRavenX]

3. it tastes good AND puts you to sleep

What more do you want??

[Placebo]

6. Lordy, do I want to be sedated!

AND, you get to eat it for days afterwards! Make yummy turkey sandwiches with REAL turkey, not that processed stuff...mmm, cold turkey *drools*

[Lex]

4. 'Zactly.

Got to be TURKEY.

[Lady Effingbroke]

5. Usually in my family it's turkey for Thanksgiving and ham for Christmas.

Seems to work out ok, and that way no one gets burnt out by having the same dinner on both days.

[Cadence]

9. Same here. But then I don't have

a family so I don't know what the hell I am talking about.

[Rhiannon12866]

15. So what do you do for Thanksgiving?

I don't have much family, either, and what family I do have is in Colorado for the holiday, which is fine with me.:shrug:

[Cadence]

23. Well last year I was by myself

but usually I go to a friends mom's house which is probably what I'll do this year. Holidays are hard with no family, no doubt about it. BUT it's better than being poked in the eye! (It's all in how you look at it) :)

[Rhiannon12866]

30. I'm glad that you're not going to be by yourself

I have been, but I was when I was very unwell, and my B/F brought me a plate from his mother's house. Not what I was used to, when my mother did Thanksgiving, but appreciated. I'll probably go there, this year, but will bring a vegetable, which I will probably get a hard time for bringing, but it's gone over well, with the younger set, in the past. *sigh* :shrug:

I notice that you are in Colorado. I have four cousins there, from both sides of my family, and my aunt. That's where my mother is, this year. If you ever find yourself on your own, let me know and I could hook you up. I'm quite serious. They are in the various suburbs of Denver, and I understand that one of them is quite a cook. I am particularly close to his sister, since we're the only girls of our generation, and she would enjoy meeting another kindred spirit. Let me know if you'd ever consider this. It's only dinner, but it's still no fun to spend it alone.:hi:

[Cadence]

44. Thank you Rhiannon12866

that is very sweet of you to offer! I really appreciate that and I definetly will! :hug:

What vegetable are you going to make? I want to take yams with marshmallows melted on top because I like them at Thanksgiving but I alway worry I'm going to get a hard time for bringing them. Not everyone has heard of making them that way.

[Rhiannon12866]

45. I'm thinking broccolini

I've tried different vegetables, but this one came off the best, even among these non-vegetable eaters, and is easy to prepare. I just rinse them and peel the ends (most people don't even bother, but I do) the night before, leave them in salted water and just microwave them (which is really steaming) when I get there, which only takes a few minutes. I just add a little butter.:9

Your dish sounds much more traditional, so I can't imagine anybody giving you a hard time. Besides, you're a guest. I'm considered some kind of radical, even though I'm among liberals who have known me for years.:shrug:

Let me know how it goes.:hug:

[smurfygirl]

7. tofurky

we are vegans. turkey's are not food to us, neither are pigs.
so tofu turkey it is.
:9

[Placebo]

10. What does tofu turkey taste like?

I'm mighty curious. :)

[Rhiannon12866]

17. I ran across a wheat gluten "turkey" Thanksgiving recipe in

Vegetarian Times, but I'm on my own with this. *sigh* :shrug:

[Wallflower_Liberal]

41. I usually do Tofurkey too...

I've been vegetarian for over 10 years. This year, I'm making a Quorn roast (but it's not vegan)

[nicedream815]

43. same here

first year of tofurky

[nolabels]

8. Other here

I hate turkey x(

I'm having pumpkin pie sandwiches instead

[UdoKier]

11. Of course Turkey. Ham is just NASTY.

Sure a slice on a sandwich once in a blue moon is okay, but who wants to load up on that salty, slippery crap?

Turkey is much nicer in every way.

[2cents]

12. turkey...

..but if the truth be told.... more than the turkey itself, I look forward to the stuffing.

[Rhiannon12866]

19. Stuffing is what I like about Thanksgiving, as well

You can keep the turkey, since I'm not big on meat, but I still look forward to the stuffing. And mashed potatoes.:9

[2cents]

24. O, yeah...

...a fork full of stuffing, mash potatoes and a little cranberry sauce to top it off...doesn't get any better.

Please excuse my drooling.

[Rhiannon12866]

25. No problem, LOL! I've been craving it since I read this post

I'm not a big meat-eater, but can't give up my mother's/aunt's giblet stuffing on Thanksgiving, and, hopefully, Christmas, as well. Since I now cook, I've also made it, on occasion, only using chicken. I'm going to have to remember to think to do this more often throughout the year. There's just not the same satisfaction with Stove-Top.:-)

[donheld]

13. My sister does the cooking so it's usually turkey

but god knows i do love ham too.

[jojo54]

14. UUMMMMM turkey.......

it's really a Repug conspiracy to sedate us so they can secretly pass bullshit laws without us knowing until it's too late.....just like Bush's boys have directed the media to concentrate on the Monday Night Football "towel foul" so we wouldn't know that they protected DeLay.

[LeftyMom]

16. Lentil Loaf

It looks like meatloaf and tastes a bit like stuffing. I hate having to strangle every one of those little tiny lentils to make it, though. ;)

Unsurprisingly, I'm a born and bred Californian. LeftyDad is from Ohio, aka the gravy state.

[babylonsister]

18. Wow, my mouth is watering..

Thanksgiving, to me, is my mom, dad, and family= lots of people. Now it is me and my partner/pal/husband/friend/s.o., and we will be alone. But we will celebrate "Thanksgiving" as my family did/does, in all their different ways for all the right reasons. It used to be about peace, love, happiness and that worked a long time for me.
Now I'm skeptical...
Peace to you at Thanksgiving.

[Rhiannon12866]

21. You can make the holiday anything you want

This sounds great to me. I envy you your freedom. Peace to you, as well.:-)

[ofrfxsk]

20. No one had a brown sugar, pineapple and clove spiked ham

basting in their ovens on Thanksgiving?
You poor souls! That is one of my few wonderful memories as a kid.

Never liked turkey.

[yvr girl]

22. Thanksgiving was so last month

We had turkey. Ham is for Easter.

[Spock_is_Skeptical]

26. Tofurky.

Well, that's just me. I'm a vegetarian, but my family parents don't really 'do' thanksgiving, they're too busy butchering deer during this week. (both mom & dad still hunt.)

[tigereye]

38. my husband's parents didn't do Thanksgiving

due to deer hunting.

My family has turkey. Even when I was a vegetarian, I used to cheat on Thanksgiving. My sister just ate green beans.

[kick-ass-bob]

27. Thanksgiving=Turkey.

Christmas Eve: ham.
Christmas: turkey.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

28. no delimma here

we have enough people that one of each keeps everyone happy. One big turkey...one big ham...and lots of other goodies beside!

theProdigal

By the by...we live in NC but have people from VA, SC, GA, TN and AL coming this year...

[China_cat]

29. Jambalaya for Thanksgiving

We live in SC but I'm originally from PA and my husband is from Zuid Holland.

[RivetJoint]

32. Agree Jambalaya, along with turkey

stuff, mashed potatoes, and green been casserole for T-Giving

Gumbo and ham for Christmas!

[Robb]

31. 'Squirky!

...basically a big roasted squash with little crook-neck squash wired on to look like drumsticks. Stuff at will. Squirky.

I wish I had made that one up, but a dear friend did it for a veggie friend one turkey day. :D

[Rhiannon12866]

33. If anyone wants to have a strictly vegetarian Thanksgiving,

I suggest picking up a copy of Vegetarian Times, which I've subscribed to for years. I know that your dear friend just did this to please another friend, but anyone can find amazing vegetarian recipes and ideas in this magazine, for the holidays and anytime. They are also available, on-line, and I also subscribe to their on-line newsletter. They understand the stresses of the holidays for vegetarians and have new and innovative ideas, and great recipes, if your friend, or anybody else, ever needs them.:-)

[flvegan]

34. Tofurkey or Unturkey

Complete with stuffing and gravy. 'Nother vegan here.

Mmmmmm....

[bunkerbuster1]

35. Semi-related: "Preznit Turkee"

...gets you more than 1700 hits if you google it.

[Flammable Materials]

36. Thursday is EAT NOTHING DAY for me.

1. In light of the election, this nation is not going to have much to thank anyone for for the next four years.

2. There's no way I can sit and eat myself into a coma while families in Iraq will be going to bed hungry, homeless, and with members of their family dead ... because of an unjust war declared in my name.

No food for me whatsoever on Thursday. I will be sitting at the table in front of an empty plate, and I don't care what my relatives have to say about it.

[Phillycat]

39. Wow.

That's pretty cool.

[Lavender Brown]

37. Ham?!

Ham? :D

[Fleurs du Mal]

40. Fish

[arwalden]

42. Turkey On T'Giving... Honey-Baked Spiral-Cut Glazed Ham On X'mas.