Believe it or not, we all survived to the last week of November. Give yourself a pat on the back for that. 

In a month that featured both the 2024 presidential election and People Magazine’s annual Sexiest Man Alive competition, I am sure there is no shortage of controversial opinions floating around. Luckily, we soon have a forum in which we will be able to share them with our understanding extended family members. 

Thanksgiving week has finally arrived, and while many of us will finally have a reprieve from lectures and midterms, we may be soon faced with another type of challenge — interacting with our family over a shared meal. 

Here at the opinions desk, we recently conducted a seasonal poll to determine what the best and worst Thanksgiving foods are. Hopefully, our findings will give you enough material to avoid talking about anything else more contentious this Thursday. 

Twenty-five respondents weighed in with their best and worst Thanksgiving food opinions. To disclaim, we are aware that 25 people is not enough data to come to an official conclusion, but if you take issue with this, I would encourage you to complain less in this season of gratitude. 

Out of our 25 respondents, seven voted stuffing as their favorite. In response to the best food question, Anna Peyla, a former University of Minnesota student, answered, “Stuffing, because nothing beats moist bread.” 

Although stuffing was voted as the favorite in our poll, this was not a universally held opinion. It also received three votes for the worst Thanksgiving food. 

For the worst foods, Elizabeth Gust, a second-year student, also answered, “Stuffing; I would rather eat normal bread.” 

Perhaps this can be your Thanksgiving family conversation this year as opposed to something like, say, dwindling reproductive rights across the U.S.

Is stuffing the best or worst Thanksgiving food? Is bread better served normal or moist? The arguments practically write themselves. 

Cranberry-related accoutrements came in as a close runner-up to stuffing for the best food. 

Alec Nilson, a third-year graduate student, described cranberries as a “perfect combination of sweetness and bitterness.”

Similar to stuffing, cranberries also received votes for the worst food choice as well.

Joseph Madigan, a fourth-year student, said, “Cranberry sauce because it looks terrible.” 

However, the winner of the worst Thanksgiving food title is perhaps the most controversial of all. Coming in with six votes, we have the symbol of Thanksgiving itself, turkey. 

Despite being the traditional main course since the inception of the holiday itself, turkey seems to have hit record-low approval ratings, according to our polling. The incumbency advantage is truly dead. 

Ethan Cook, a fourth-year student, described turkey as, “bland no matter how you cook it,” and as  a “cardboard bird.” 

Whether you will be rejoicing in moist bread or avoiding the cardboard bird this week, hopefully, this poll offers you some scientific data to justify those choices. Personally, I am just here for the pie.