Picture this: waiting all day for the delicious food to get out of the oven and to sink your teeth into the delicious meal. When the food is finally finished, family members run out to the kitchen full of excitement, but when they see the food, families can not help but feel full of disappointment. Instead of it being the delectable foods they have been waiting for, it is the worst food imaginable.
Thanksgiving is the time of year when families come together to feast on delightful foods. On the table, there are varieties of foods to choose from, including ham and turkey, from mac and cheese to mashed potatoes; there are all kinds of foods that are either delicious or disgusting. According to iHeart Radio’s Mystie Salbert’s survey asked consumers what they think the worst Thanksgiving foods are. In Salbert’s survey, cranberry sauce took the number one spot for worst Thanksgiving foods, with nearly 30 percent of those who were surveyed saying it was the worst food. With shocking surprise, turkey came in at a close second with 28 percent of people voting for it. Then, green bean casserole was voted third with 25 percent votes, anything with sweet potatoes or yams in fourth, then finishing off the top five was stuffing with 23 percent votes.
As reported by Nick O’Malley of Mass Live’s survey, cranberry sauce was voted the most disliked food, with the description of “the greatest tragedy of Thanksgiving.” Salad came in second, which was described as having an ambulance at a tee-ball game, and in third is candied yams, which is “just a waste of good marshmallows.” Fourth was scalloped potatoes, which is “a classic case of wasted potato potential.” Finishing off the list with green bean casserole, “side dishes should be either a healthy or a hedonistic abomination.”(O’Malley 2025)
Based on a poll sent out to the Lewis Cass High School, which had the top ten worst Thanksgiving foods, students had the opportunity to pick the five foods most disliked. The survey options included: cranberry sauce, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, pea salad, pumpkin pie, deviled eggs, ham, and there was also an option for students to write in their own disliked food. The results of this survey were similar to the iHeart Radio survey. According to the 168 responses from the Lewis Cass students, the number one worst Thanksgiving food is pea salad with 94 votes, second was brussels sprouts with 87 votes, third was cranberry sauce with 83 votes, fourth was green bean casserole with 55 votes, and then rounding off the top five was sweet potato casserole with 52 votes. Some unique responses students gave were tater tot casserole, potato salad, and collard greens.
Overall, according to the official Kings’ Courier survey, the iHeart survey, and the Mass Live survey, cranberry sauce ranked top of the worst Thanksgiving foods list. Close behind, green bean casserole and all sweet potato dishes are next on the list. Personally, stuffing is my least favorite Thanksgiving dish because it is dry and bland. If you love these foods, do not feel badly; they are just not everyone’s favorites.
