Question of the Day: If you could remove one dish from the Thanksgiving table…

November 22, 2025

If you could remove one dish from the Thanksgiving table forever, what would it be and why is it cranberry sauce shaped like a can?

There are hills I’ll die on, and then there are Thanksgiving hills I’ll die on, which feel somehow pettier, funnier, and oddly sacred. Today’s Question of the Day taps into that universal truth: we all have one Thanksgiving dish that makes us wonder why it survived natural selection.

For most people, it’s the wobbly, ridged cranberry cylinder that exits the can like it’s clocking in for a shift. But for me? It’s anything with raisins. Especially stuffing. Stuffing is supposed to be soft, savory, warm, comforting… not a delicious bite interrupted by the sudden, unexpected texture of disappointment.

I don’t know who started the trend of putting raisins where raisins don’t belong. Oatmeal cookies? Fine. Trail mix? Go wild. But stuffing? That’s where I draw the line. Raisins in stuffing feel like someone is trying to sabotage my Thanksgiving experience from the inside out. You’re chewing along, minding your business, and suddenly,bam, a sticky burst of sweetness ambushes you like a culinary prank.

But here’s the thing: Thanksgiving isn’t really about the food. (Even though I’ve clearly devoted a concerning amount of energy to this.) It’s about the ritual of it all. The people we’re with. The stories that get retold whether we want them retold or not. The kids eating rolls like they’re an entire food group. The moment you realize that even the dishes you can’t stand are tied to people you really love.

Still — raisins don’t belong in stuffing. I won’t bend on that.

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💬 Your Turn

So… if you could remove one dish from the Thanksgiving table forever, what would it be?

Share your answer in the comments or on social, your weird little truth might be someone else’s comfort zone.