Thanksgiving food is nasty. Don’t get me wrong, Thanksgiving is filled with fun celebrations and all sorts of festivities, but the food that is served is just atrocious. Thanksgiving is known for having traditional foods such as turkey, mashed potatoes with gravy, stuffing, cranberries, rolls, pie, sweet potatoes, green beans, and lots more. Let’s be honest, though- the turkey is so overrated and the sides, ranging from mushy sweet potatoes to stomach churning green beans, don’t make up for it. Basically, every other holiday has better food than Thanksgiving.

The Calorie Control Council estimates that an average American consumes 4,500 calories at a traditional Thanksgiving feast. The average American will waste 4,500 calories on very subpar food. The fact that the food has such a deep rooted tradition makes it hard for Americans to stray away from the bland food.

“I think people make the same food every year because of tradition and not because they actually like it,” said senior Lexie Ferzacca.

It is not a shock that others despise the food. Many have a love/hate relationship with the food served, especially with the turkey. Grandma either makes it “perfect” or overcooks it and it’s dry, making some want to secretly feed it to their dog under the table. Some years are a hit, the others are a miss, but nonetheless the turkey is still a thumbs down.

“The turkey is dry,” said sophomore Ali Kenna. “Overall, the the turkey lacks flavor and just isn’t satisfying.”

It’s not only the turkey that people have problem with, it’s the many side dishes that are lacking on all levels as well. The soupy cranberry sauce somehow always makes it onto the thanksgiving table, despite being one of the worst dishes to have ever existed.

“Cranberry sauce is slimy and gross,” said freshman Jeffrey Grace.

Another side that is a a major pass are the sweet potatoes. It could be the mix of the potatoes and marshmallows that turns people away or just the hatred of sweet potatoes.

“The color of them is concerning and they’re especially disgusting with marshmallows on top,” said senior Jayne Jurasek. “[They are] two foods that should not be combined. It’s honestly a worse combination than pizza with pineapples.”

Side after side after side being skipped over when choosing what to put on a Thanksgiving plate, nothing seems worth the calories. It all just mashes together on the plate and it all has a very similar taste to it: bland.

“The food is bland and overall lacking flavor,” said senior Allison Evans.

It is that straightforward, many of the students at York Community High School give our celebrated feast of Thanksgiving a rousing thumbs down. We have fun with family and friends, but when it comes to the food, perhaps we should create our own high school student tradition and ask Portillo’s to stay open on Turkey Day.