Let me just start off by saying Thanksgiving is one of the greatest holidays ever, from the food to football (go Commanders), you really just can’t get much better vibes from a holiday. Both of my parents are outstanding cooks, something that I feel fortunate and thankful for during this time of year. 

However, I was not blessed with the taste buds necessary to indulge in all of the delicious food that they create. I’m what some call a picky eater, and that may be an understatement. 

Thanksgiving is really special to me because almost all of the food is delicious, but how each food stacks up to one another is up for debate. So, I thought for the sake of the Thanksgiving spirit, I’d rank a few of my favorites and least favorites from worst to first in three tiers. Worst, middle of the pack, and heavenly.

I’d say the worst Thanksgiving food is cranberry sauce. I’ll probably get a lot of hate for this, but there are so many better options and it just doesn’t deserve to touch the rest of my food and ruin my Thanksgiving dinner. Up next is macaroni and cheese. Listen, I am sure your jaw is dropping at these claims, but the only reason I think this way is because I’m a picky eater. Usually, Thanksgiving macaroni is baked, but I simply prefer the out-of-the-box Kraft or Velveeta brands. Just another reason to question why I was cursed with these tastebuds. I also dislike sweet potatoes a lot, normal potatoes are better in every way. When I think of potatoes, I want savory– not sweet. 

Now onto the middle of the pack. These are the things I do enjoy but aren’t really going on my plate first. I’m going to start off with asparagus and or green beans. See? I’m not the worst picky eater of all time. Both of these vegetables aren’t the best of the best for me, but I do enjoy them if they are present for Thanksgiving. Up next, roasted potatoes. These are always going to be delicious to me, especially when they’re extra crispy, but they don’t really stack up to the superior potato dish in the heavenly tier rankings, (these belong on the plate though.) Rounding out the middle of the pack is pumpkin pie. I remember going on a kick for this dish a few years back, but I also remember getting sick of it for a while shortly after. It’s still the superior dessert dish during Thanksgiving, though if apple pie is present, I may have to make an exception.

Here comes the heavenly tier, the best of the best, what goes on the plate first. To start off, cornbread. A staple appetizer for all Thanksgiving plates, it’s absolutely delicious and you can dip it in anything you want to for the same result. Next up, stuffing and corn. While they don’t exactly belong together in the dish, they are a close tie for me because I love both just as much as the other. I’ve always loved corn, but recently my taste buds developed the ability to start enjoying stuffing, which gives me hope that one day I can really like other stuff. Both are delicious, and both belong on my plate as soon as it’s my turn to fill it.

And the last two; cue the drumroll. Coming in with the silver medal is the holy grail and staple of all Thanksgiving dishes, Turkey. Absolutely delicious and I know it’s not just the fact that my parents can cook it well, it’s worth the wait every year, and makes me want to come back for seconds every time, it can also mesh with the top Thanksgiving food of them all, mashed potatoes and gravy. How can you look at these two household staples and not think of them amongst the elite, so many things go well with gravy, but they just seem to blend perfectly with one another every single time. I’m getting hungry right now as I’m writing this. I hope you enjoyed reading about how much of a picky eater I am, sorry if I made you hungry. Feel free to send me any hate messages you have for putting macaroni in the bottom tier. And once again, go Commanders.

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