Mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce, and of course, the traditional turkey.
All of these foods come to mind when most people think about the much-anticipated feast before winter hibernation, more commonly referred to as Thanksgiving. This American holiday, which is next Thursday, has been celebrated since the Plymouth colonists and the Wampanoag Indians shared in the first “autumn harvest feast” and continues to serve as a time for food, family and relaxation.
For about 10 percent of the U.S. population, however, the typical Thanksgiving menu does not suffice. According to Vegetarian Times, nearly 22.8 million vegetarians and one million vegans will celebrate Thanksgiving without the customary dishes.
For most of us, meat, butter, and sugar are essential to any meal. But for some students as LHS, these Thanksgiving “necessities” are just not an option.
“It might surprise a lot of people, but there are actually many great vegetarian substitutes for traditional Thanksgiving dishes,” senior Hannah Woodhouse, a six-year vegetarian, remarked.
One of the more popular meat substitutes is Tempeh, a traditional Soy product originally from Indonesia. Tempeh is often prepared by cutting it into pieces, soaking in brine or salt, and then frying. The diversity of the substitute appeals to a variety of non-meat eaters and is a common dish in many vegan/vegetarian households.
“My dad and I often make Tempeh meat loaf for Thanksgiving. It’s delicious and goes great with the vegetarian vegetable gravy and bread we make as well,” explained Woodhouse.
Perhaps the most well-known of these alternatives is the infamous Tofurky. This turkey knock-off is made of a combination of tofu (soybean curd) and seitan (wheat protein) and is generally complimented with a variety of seasonal herbs and spices. It can be prepared a number of ways but is most commonly roasted, similarly to that of a traditional turkey.
As far as the vegan/vegetarian community at LHS is concerned, this mock-turkey is nothing to brag about.
“We tried the Tofu Turkey one Thanksgiving; it just looked so awful I don’t think my sister and I even tried it,” Julia Curry, a sophomore at Libertyville, remarked. “My parents had some and they even said it was terrible.”
Vegetarian and senior Amanda Zhang shared in the criticism: “I’ve had Tofurky for the past two years and it’s not the most delicious thing. It’s actually kind of gross, and I’d prefer to just have regular tofu instead.”
Around this time of year, the stresses of deciding which house the festivities will be hosted at, organizing a ride for grandma, and settling the yearly dispute between mother-in-laws can be anything but relaxing. Try throwing a vegan menu into the mix and things can get pretty chaotic.
“It will always cause a little tension because the rest of my family, being vegetarian, can eat some things that I can’t. Oftentimes my sister will want to have some meal that we used to have before I was vegan, like lasagna for example, and it’s always hard because I don’t want to keep her from having something she wants to eat,” Curry added.
It’s no question that trying to organize and prepare a set of vegan or vegetarian dishes for the holidays is a challenging mission, one that requires careful planning, compromise, and perfect execution. There are, however, a number of alternatives as well as experienced individuals who are more than willing to help.
Ms. Kathryn Hyla, a foods teacher at Libertyville, serves as a resource for any students or faculty members eager to organize a vegan/vegetarian Thanksgiving.
“I definitely have people who are vegetarian or maybe newly vegetarian who come to me for recipes,” Ms. Hyla said. “I would say nine times out of 10, I would suggest some kind of fish dish. For vegans it’s a bit trickier because they can’t have any kind of animal product whatsoever. Luckily, in the last ten years or so, there have been a lot more options for people who are vegan.”
According to Ms. Hyla, the vegan and vegetarian students at LHS don’t have to worry about missing out on much of anything.
“If a student in one of my classes is vegetarian and they let me know ahead of time, then I will prepare alternative recipes for those individuals so that they can still participate and eat most of the things we make,” she said.
The students themselves see their vegan/vegetarian holiday experience in a positive light as well. Typically, specialty stores such as Whole Foods or even the local Mariano’s will be aware of the increasing demand for vegan and vegetarian substitutes and will have a lot more options for the holidays. Overall, the vegan/vegetarian community at LHS refuses to be discouraged.
“I definitely still enjoy the holiday even though some would say I’m ‘missing out’ on the best part. For our family, it’s become less about food and football and all those things and more about relaxing and spending time together,” Curry expressed.
Many students feel that they have not lost any part of a traditional Thanksgiving; they do not define “tradition” by means of the food that’s shared but by the time that’s spent with others.
“I love good food and I love family, and those are two great things that come with Thanksgiving. Personally, I don’t think the ingredients make much of a difference,” Woodhouse said.
Surely, it doesn’t really matter if what you share around the table is a bacon-stuffed turkey or a vegetable tofu dish; what matters is who you’re sharing it with. Isn’t that the entire purpose of Thanksgiving anyways, to “give thanks”? We tend to think that the holiday is all about the turkey, pumpkin pie, cranberries, and mashed potatoes, when in reality, the first Thanksgiving did not even feature any of these things. The traditional meal was more likely to consist of a variety of sea food, venison, grains, vegetables and fruit, according to History Education.
Nevertheless, the feat of a vegetarian/vegan Thanksgiving is small compared to the decision to transition to veganism or vegetarianism itself.
“I will say above and beyond what makes it easier is if your family is supportive of your decision. They are really the ones who will be able to help prepare dishes for you,” Ms. Hyla said. “When they’re not supportive, then it makes it a lot more difficult because you really are on your own.”
Although the transition can be difficult, many vegans or vegetarians have strong personal reasons for why they make the switch.
“At first my parents were kind of critical, but because of my family’s history of health problems, I made the decision in the betterment of my health. Since then, they’ve been pretty supportive,” Zhang said.
While some students may think going a day without a crispy “Buff Chick” from the school cafeteria is unthinkable, for most vegans and vegetarians, the choice was clear.
“Besides the food aspect, I don’t think I really miss out on that much. Nothing in my life has ever changed significantly because of being vegan, and Thanksgiving is just the same as it was before. It’s an overall great holiday; I get to relax, spend time with family, and we get school off,” Curry said.