Image: Via Jed Owen (Unsplash)
Have you ever wondered if the people of West Chester, Pa. have the same Thanksgiving opinions as you? Well, no need to wonder much longer! I have polled 76 West Chester University students and compiled their answers into this article. I got the idea from The Quad’s weekly meeting question: What is your Thanksgiving hot take? We all had interesting responses, and it got me thinking: what are my friend’s hot takes? What about the student body? So, here are the wacky responses from WCU!
Questions Asked:
What is your Thanksgiving hot take?
What is the worst Thanksgiving food?
What is the best Thanksgiving food?
Student Responses:
68 people had a Thanksgiving hot take.
76 people had an answer for the worst Thanksgiving food.
71 people had an answer to the best Thanksgiving food.
Thanksgiving Hot Takes — Student Responses
Here are some of my favorite quotes from those interviewed!
“Thanksgiving is the worst holiday of them all.” -Avery (18)
“Thanksgiving food should be at 11 a.m.” -Anonymous
“Leftovers shouldn’t be eaten for more than 2 days.” -Anonymous
“I don’t like Charlie Brown because I don’t like 2D Characters. They freak me out!” -Anonymous
“Thanksgiving is where family are the people you’re forced to be around.” -Dylan (21)
“Mac-and-cheese does not belong with Thanksgiving!” -Anonymous
“Mac-and-cheese is an essential dish!” -Anonymous
“Chocolate cake over all pies!” -Christian (18)
“Not a Top 10 Holiday.” -Collin (20)
“It’s a colonialist holiday.” -Anonymous
“There is too much pressure to eat and enjoy the food.” -Bailee (19)
“Ketchup is good on mashed potatoes.” -Evelyn (19) 
Image: Thanksgiving Hot Takes Breakdown via Elaina Caber
I do believe some of these responses are hotter takes than others. I personally want to see the two mac-and-cheese people debate it out. It would make for an eventful Thanksgiving night. Instead of your controversial family members speaking about politics, you could see the two mac-and-cheese people dish it out on a live stage! Now that would make my night better.
According to the students polled, the most popular hot take was that “Stuffing is Gross/Bad/Horrible” by 21.8% and the “Turkey is Bad/Dry/Gross” by 18.2%. I find it to be fascinating that most people are not Team Turkey when it is the mascot of the holiday.
Worst Thanksgiving Food
Out of 76 people polled, 25.4% ranked “Cranberry Sauce” as the worst, and 22.7% ranked “stuffing” as the runner-up. I have my personal beef with Thanksgiving, and I was happy to see that a lot of people hate stuffing as much as I do.
Image: Worst Thanksgiving Food Breakdown via Elaina Caber
Best Thanksgiving Food
Now, which is the best out of all the dishes? Out of 71 people polled, 26.4% ranked “Mashed Potatoes” as the best, and 13.9% ranked “Stuffing” as the runner up. I am very pleased by the fact that mashed potatoes won because it is a staple in my family. My mom and I made two batches last year, and they were both gone within the hour.
Image: Best Thanksgiving Food Breakdown via Elaina Caber
The Consensus
Everyone has no idea where to place stuffing! It was ranked in the top two across the board. Clearly a controversial topic of interest. Here are the top three from each group:
Hot Takes
“Stuffing is Gross/Bad/Horrible” (21.8%)
“Turkey is Bad/Dry/Gross” (18.2%)
“Cranberry Sauce is Bad” (10.9%)
Worst Food
“Cranberry Sauce’ (25.3%)
“Stuffing” (22.7%)
“Turkey” and “Vegetables” (tied at 12.0%)
Best Food
“Mashed Potatoes” (26.4%)
“Stuffing” (13.9%)
“Mac and Cheese” (12.5%)
Here you go, folks! The results are in, and they are not so shocking (with the minor exception of stuffing). The people of WCU have spoken that mashed potatoes are amazing, and that stuffing is too confusing to rate.
Final Thoughts
I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving break! I hope that you eat tons of delicious food, like a properly seasoned turkey and the best-breaded mac and cheese. I will be in the corner enjoying all the dinner rolls and pies with my dog, Sergei. He will be eating all the turkey and ham that I don’t finish or get to. I hope you enjoy all the chaotic family dynamics that are surely to ensue. I for one can always count on my older brother to start something! I would love to hear your thoughts on Thanksgiving food and whatever shenanigans happened during the holiday.
Elaina Caber is a first-year English major.
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