Thanksgiving without the turkey

Not all American households celebrate Thanksgiving with a turkey, but most still do. An estimated 49 million turkeys were raised this year in Minnesota, the leading state in turkey production, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

With raising concerns of health and weight in America, it is interesting to see that 144,086 organic turkeys were raised as of 2005. This still doesn’t get in the way of a traditional turkey dinner on thanksgiving for most families.

CMU student Sara Bloomberg went home for a great traditional thanksgiving dinner including turkey.

“Thanksgiving is not only a great break from school before finals, I also enjoy yummy food with family and friends,” said Bloomberg.

Cranberries are also a great American side dish that is widely consumed at Thanksgiving. Cranberry production in the U.S. was up five percent since 2007 to 689 million pounds in 2008.

“Homemade cranberry dishes are the best,” said Bloomberg. “This year my grandmother made brandy cranberries and my aunt made a cranberry relish.”

A healthy diet does concern some people and have an affect on Thanksgiving. For example, people with allergies may need to make changes to the traditional meal.

Another factor involved in planning the Thanksgiving dinner is an individual’s values or religion. Thanksgiving doesn’t need a turkey and Ann Marie LaFlamme believes your dinner is better off without it.

“My family helps me in many ways to comply to my vegan choices,” said LaFlamme.

“ My mother makes me healthy and delicious stuffing, yams and my grandmother brought me green bean casserole for dinner,” said LaFlamme.

“Thanksgiving dinner is a great reminder of the reason we celebrate Thanksgiving,” said Bloomberg. “It reminds me of how thankful I am to spend time with my friends and family.”