In “Ask A&C,” University of Mississippi students ask culture-based questions about university and Oxford life, and members of the arts and culture writing staff answer with their own personal takes.
This week, sophomore exercise science major Avery Stewart asks: “What is the best Thanksgiving food?” He says his favorite Thanksgiving dish is rolls.
Granny’s gumbo – Lily Gisclair
My granny makes a homemade gumbo every year in addition to our Thanksgiving regulars like turkey and ham. Gumbo is my favorite meal of all time, so I may be biased, but it definitely takes the No. 1 spot for me on Thanksgiving day!
Mom’s tamales – Aliza Warner
Since my family is Mexican, we always love to have some Mexican food along with other typical Thanksgiving dishes during our dinners. My mom loves to prepare and make tamales for our whole family, which are always absolutely delicious! The best part is that since my mom makes so many tamales beforehand, they usually last several days, so the most delightful dish doesn’t end on Thanksgiving day.
Mom’s deviled eggs – Aaron Barrow
Every Thanksgiving, I get excited for these bad boys. My mom usually makes them, but so do my sister and brother on occasion. I’ve not gone a Thanksgiving without them and I never plan to. I know they’re technically a side dish, but they’re the main course as far as I’m concerned.
Nana’s sweet potato pie – Sarah McRaney
Every year, my Nana used to make sweet potato pies. She always made three: two for Thanksgiving lunch and one just for me. Unpopular opinion, sweet potato pie is better than pumpkin pie. My Nana’s recipe is the best, though, because everything is homemade and it doesn’t have cinnamon or nutmeg in it. It is perfectly sweet and goes great with whipped cream.
Mom’s chess pie – Claire Reynolds
My favorite Thanksgiving dish is easily chess pie. I remember about 10 years ago, my mom worked so hard spending all day making two chess pies for our family Thanksgiving. She was really worried about finishing the pies in time to take me to a rehearsal for “The Nutcracker” and giving them time to cool before we had to leave bright and early for my grandma’s the next morning. After she rushed to finish them, she wanted them to cool down quickly, so she put them on our deck to cool off, then we left for my rehearsal. As soon as we got back home, she went on the porch to check on how the pies were cooling, and much to her dismay, our chickens ate both of the pies. We were all so upset, but the situation was just so absurd we couldn’t stay upset. Now everytime I eat chess pie, I am reminded that the holidays are incredibly stressful, but it’s never that serious.
Nanna’s homemade noodles – Isabelle Frost
My favorite Thanksgiving food is my Nanna’s homemade noodles. Every Thanksgiving eve, my Nanna comes over and we all work together to make the dough and noodles. We have the best time making them and always make extra because they’re a family favorite.
Mom’s sweet potato casserole – Julia Ross
I am a huge fan of sweets, so I love my mom’s sweet potato casserole. She makes this brown sugar and cinnamon streusel to put on top along with mini marshmallows, and it is so good.
