Editor’s note: Ruby Buehler and Aurie Rabang did not consent to being photographed but are quoted in this article.
Thanksgiving brings people together, but it is the people who bring the Thanksgiving meal. The traditional Thanksgiving feast often includes sides such as casseroles, mashed potatoes, and macaroni and cheese.
Here at Oregon State University, students share which of the seasonal sides is their ultimate favorite, sending mashed potatoes and casseroles to duke it out for the top-tier Thanksgiving side.
When it comes to store-bought versus homemade, it seems that students at OSU prefer a tas
te that reminds them of their family.
For first-year environmental science major Aurie Rabang, homemade baked macaroni and cheese is where it’s at.
“My aunt makes it at home and then she brings it over,” Rabang said.
For many, their favorite dish comes with nostalgic memories.
Second-year computer science major Samual Vernick often associates his Thanksgiving with the friends and family he can’t see as often anymore.
“We had family friends that moved to Canada pretty early in my life,” Vernick said. “But they would always come back for Thanksgiving and we would go over to their place every time, so it would be like a giant Indian family.”
Vernick considers the act of preparing the meal together a part of the Thanksgiving tradition.
“It would be a full-day thing,” Vernick said. “Everyone goes ther
e in the morning and starts cooking.”
Second-year chemical engineering major Ruby Buehler considers the best Thanksgiving side to be sweet, roasted potatoes, thinking fondly of her family.
“My sisters and I would make it,” Buehler said.
Vernick said stuffing is the top-tier Thanksgiving side for practical reasons.
“I think stuffing just lasts the longest,” Vernick said. “I have Thanksgiving meals for a week out with stuffing, and they’re always good.”
However, for others, like second-year elementary education major Lily Brommer, the texture of stuffing can make it difficult to enjoy.
“I hate stuffing,” Brommer said. “It’s mushy, sometimes it can be crispy but it’s like, why is this bread mixed with these other (things)?”
According to Brommer, the top-tier Thanksgiving side is mashed potatoes because of their simplicity.
“You can’t make bad mashed potatoes,” Brommer said. “You could make a disgusting green bean casserole, but you can’t do that with mashed potatoes.”
But Brommer is not the only student who doesn’t consider
greens to be at the top of the Thanksgiving-side hierarchy.
“I’ve never been a green bean casserole guy. … I’ll still eat it, but I don’t seek it out,” Vernick said.
“I’m not really a big fan of (collard greens),” Rabang said, placing them in the bottom tier.
Regardless, most students connect the best Thanksgiving side to nostalgic moments with their family and friends, their favorite side encompassing the togetherness of Thanksgiving.
