Türkiye controls the table. But a poll found disagreement about other Thanksgiving classics

Thanksgiving may be a good time for Americans to eat together, but opinions are divided on what goes on the crowded dinner table. We mostly agree on the taste of pumpkin pie, for example, but are divided on the eternal turkey question of dark meat versus white meat.

And don’t even ask if a marshmallow belongs to a sweet potato — that might cause a stir.

the bird

About 3 in 10 U.S. adults (32%) who will celebrate Thanksgiving this year say turkey is their favorite dish at the holiday feast, according to a new poll from the Foundation The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.

Stuffing or dressing (19%) and mashed potatoes (6%) came in second and third place.

“Thanksgiving — it’s all about the turkey,” said Ralph Kaya, 71, of Pensacola, Florida, who participated in the survey.

On the other hand, Vaidhi Upadhyaya, a 27-year-old pharmacist in Glen Rock, New Jersey. Lifelong vegetarian. It’s all about Side dishes she has.

Although turkeys rank first across American regions and ages, there is a slight generational gap. Americans 45 and older are most likely to consider turkey the best thing on the Thanksgiving table (39%), while younger adults agree at 24%.

Once the turkey is carved, about 4 in 10 celebrants (43%) prefer white meat over dark (28%), and about one in five (21%) have no preference. Older adults are more likely to prefer dark meat than those under 45 (31% vs. 24%).

About 1 in 10 adults under 45 don’t like the big bird at all.

“I have to choose white meat,” says Carlos Stallworth, 58, of Los Angeles, who is also thinking about the future. leftovers. “You’re not going to get a big slice of dark meat to eat in a sandwich. But with white meat, you can get that.”

The sauce

As for the least favorite dishes on the Thanksgiving table, look no further than cranberries. About 2 in 10 celebrants say the cranberries or cranberry sauce won’t be missed. (For the record, KRC Research Reports 80 million pounds of cranberries eaten during Thanksgiving week.)

Kaya says cranberries on the table are “important”, but Upadhyaya is “pretty indifferent”, adding: “I’ll eat them if they’re there but they’re not exciting in any way.”

Stallworth, who has taken a few cooking courses, appreciates what cranberries do on the big day: “You definitely want to counteract the saltiness and flavor of the meat. “So for me, cranberries are a must.”

Thanksgiving celebrants are generally divided on whether cranberry sauce is better to eat from a can or homemade. About a quarter (24%) say canned sauce is best, while 22% want it made from scratch. About a third (35%) don’t like cranberry sauce, with people under 45 more likely to dislike it than older people.

Foot

According to the survey, pumpkin pie is the safe bet if you want to please the average guest. One-third of U.S. adults who celebrate Thanksgiving say this is their favorite dessert.

Pecan pie received 17%, apple pie came in second at 15%, and sweet potato pie came in at 12%. Chocolate pie and cherry or raspberry pie were made up of odd numbers.

Kaya, in Florida, goes beyond pumpkin for a regional delicacy. “Being close to Georgia, I have to go with pecans,” he says.

Oh, and as for the sweet potatoes…

One of the biggest holiday divisions is whether marshmallows belong in sweet potato dishes. About a third (32%) say they prefer that the cook not eat marshmallows, while 26% want them added. Another quarter does not like sweet potato dishes at all, and 16% do not prefer them.

According to the data, there are some regional differences about marshmallows. Northeasterners (42%) are more likely than Midwesterners (29%) or Southerners (29%) to say no to them.

Upadhyaya has eaten sweet potatoes both ways, and says there’s not much difference: “I feel like it doesn’t affect the taste too much because the dish is already sweet enough without the marshmallow. It’s good both ways.”

Cook’s touch

Another key ingredient to a successful meal, suggests Lauren Feldman, 39, of Indianapolis. Every year, she comes home and her mother prepares a turkey, lots of sides, cranberry sauce from scratch, and pumpkin pie with a homemade crust.

This human touch — my mother’s touch, actually — makes a big difference: “I think if these things were store-bought, I probably wouldn’t like them as much,” Feldman says.

So who does the cooking?

Among those who celebrate Thanksgiving, women (34%) are more likely than men (19%) to say they will do all or most of the cooking. Just under half of men (46%) who plan to celebrate Thanksgiving say they barely do any cooking or none at all. Only a quarter of women participants say the same.

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The survey of 1,239 adults was conducted November 2-6, 2023, using a sample drawn from NORC’s probability-based AmeriSpeak panel, designed to be representative of the U.S. population. The margin of sampling error for all respondents is plus or minus 3.9 percentage points.

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Mark Kennedy is here http://twitter.com/KennedyTwits