The smell of turkey and pumpkin pie make houses marvel. Families gather around a dinner table to feast on a beautifully set, decadent meal.  

 Thanksgiving is a time to be with family, friends and of course, eat as much as you can.   

“I love thanksgiving because I can eat as much as I want and no one can say anything,” said freshman Annabelle Miller.  

Although anyone can eat as much as they want, the quality of the quantity they’re consuming is vital to the perfect Thanksgiving meal. 

Serving the wrong dish on Thanksgiving is like giving a child coal for Christmas — nasty and inhumane.  

Although this is the coldhearted truth, people still disgust me with their terrible taste in meals that should never be eaten on a sacred day like this.  

I have put matters into my own hands and decided it’s time to show what should and should never be served on an important Thursday evening.  

#5: Sweet potato casserole  

Sweet potato casserole is the nastiest, crunchy-yet-mushy, bone-chilling dish I have ever had the misfortune of eating.  

“Sweet potato casserole is the grossest thing that I have ever put in my mouth. I feel like I have a cavity in every single one of my teeth after I eat it, and that’s saying something because I’ve never had a cavity,” said junior Gracie Klein. 

The moment I see this dish at the dinner table, I cannot restrain the gag that tries to escape my soul. Please, I beg you, don’t eat this dessert-pretending, two-faced, heinous, horrific excuse for food.  

#4: Pumpkin pie 

Pumpkin pie can bring nothing but, “meh” to my lips. If you’ve had it once, you’ve had them all.  

No matter where I eat a slice of this bland, dull, mushy pie, one thing never changes: how lackluster it is.  

In other words, it’s just boring.  

But don’t get me wrong, every Thanksgiving I will still tolerate a slice of this pie. Sure, I won’t lick my plate, but I will eat it.  

“I like pumpkin pie, but if it’s not at the table, then I won’t be heartbroken,” said freshman Amaya Peterson.  

Pumpkin pie is one of those desserts where I must be in a pumpkin pie mood to have it. I can’t just eat pumpkin pie whenever; it needs to be fall and cold outside for me to enjoy it.   

#3: Green Beans 

Sure, this isn’t everyone’s favorite, but it’s one of mine.  

Green beans are one of the healthier foods served on Thanksgiving. If you ignore the slabs of butter, they’re practically a superfood. You can eat as many as you want and not feel like the stuffed turkey afterwards.  

“So good, best vegetable ever,” said senior Alyssa Roberts.  

It’s a delicious dish that makes you forget that they’re a vegetable. 

 #2: Rolls  

I love rolls. To me, they are the carb-dense version of the perfect palate cleanser.  

I have never met a person who doesn’t like rolls, and if you’re that person, then your opinion is automatically invalid. (If you have certain food restrictions that don’t allow you to consume those doughy bits of heaven, you’re excused.) 

“Rolls are versatile. Who doesn’t like them? They are so good and the perfect way to begin/end a meal,” said junior Jammie Smith 

Rolls are immaculate when made by the right person, but if they’re frozen or poorly made, they’re still perfect.  

You can eat rolls for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Truly, they belong on every table this Thanksgiving.  

#1: Turkey  

Finally, the best thanksgiving food of all time is turkey.  

Some people like ham or stuffing, but personally I love turkey.  

Turkey works with everything on your thanksgiving plate: Cranberry Sauce, green beans, stuffing, mac and cheese — it works with everything. 

Another amazing thing about turkey is that, unlike ham, it doesn’t have any gross chewy or fatty pieces in it.