Oh, Thanksgiving. A time for gathering with family, expressing gratitude and eating. It’s a day that conjures up warm thoughts about fall decorations and full stomachs. Well, unless you’re a vegetarian.
Since becoming a vegetarian, Thanksgiving has morphed into an attempt to make side dishes into a meal while fielding awkward questions from distant relatives.
Without a doubt, it is the least climactic holiday. I drive home from school and help clean the house. I sit and wait patiently, all day, for a turkey that I won’t eat. Sure, I get to spend time with family and take a well needed break from the chaos of finals prep, but no one can deny that dinner is the main draw of Thanksgiving.
Being an herbivore on a turkey-centered holiday is no easy task. With dinner’s main event out of the question, we turn to side dishes. Even those can be a challenge. A satisfying veggie broth is like the Where’s Waldo of the food world. The classic combination of green bean casserole and mac and cheese is normally the best route.
Technically, there is another option. There’s always everyone’s least favorite meat substitute: tofurkey. Besides the fact that the name tofurkey itself is enough to make someone lose their appetite, it is not exactly the most satisfying choice. Far from a comfort food, it has no place at a holiday table. Seriously, no one ever had a craving for tofurkey.
All that being said, there are a few benefits to being a vegetarian on Thanksgiving. Without the almighty post-dinner food coma, all of your energy can be devoted to binging your latest Netflix obsession. Then there’s my favorite part of any meal: dessert. Not being full after dinner means that there’s more room for treats! This year I will focus on being thankful for all the pie I can eat.