Thanksgiving 2011: By the Numbers
Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 10:55AM Thanksgiving is full of some of our favorite things (or should we say “foods?”), so we polled our own ND&Pers for some scrumptious statistics, and here’s what we found:
What We're Eating
- On the “favorite pie” front, just over 1 in 3 claim PUMPKIN the winner (36%)
- Don’t fret, nut lovers – PECAN came in a close second at 27%
- Other pie preferences ranged from basics like chocolate and apple, to more exotic options such as coconut and mincemeat.
When it comes to sides, we like our spuds. About 32% of us claimed favorites in some form: sweet potato casserole, mashed potatoes or potato salad. Almost 23% voted for a carb-cousin in either dressing or stuffing.
"Light Meat vs. Dark Meat" 64% of us raise our hands for light meat, 18% for both, 14% for dark and 4% may just be reaching for Tofurky (since they don’t eat meat)
In the big “dressing vs. stuffing” debate (think of stuffing as something that goes in the bird, and dressing as something that gets baked in a pan – though here, too, there is some gray area on definitions), 55% of us like our dressing and 27% of us go for stuffing. If you’re wondering about that “missing” percent – they either indulge in both, or are deep in discussion on the difference between the two.
“Least Favorite Side Dish” resulted in NO clear consensus. Of any kind. Apparently we dislike a wide variety of things – from “weird jello with fruit/any gelatin item” and “anything store bought” to faithful side dishes like green bean casserole and cranberries.
“Favorite Leftovers,” on the other hand, gave “turkey” the landslide victory, but many of us aren’t picky, claiming “whatever is available” or “all of them” as our favorites. And what do we do with that leftover turkey? You probably guessed it – 68% of us reach for bread and make a tantalizing turkey sandwich. When we’re tired of those, we opt for soup or turkey tetrazzini. And a few poor souls are simply left asking “what leftovers?”
What We’re Doing
"Traveling vs. hosting" 41% of us are bravely hosting this auspicious feast, with the rest of us heading to a friend or relative’s (or even a restaurant)…(maybe that will get us out of having to do any dishes?)
Just for fun, we wondered how old we were the last time we sat at the kids’ table. Some of us don’t have a kids’ table, btw, but for those who did many of us were sitting there well into (or past) our teens. Some of us don’t remember (14% - maybe our memories are fuzzy?). And some of us (23%) are still sitting there - but don’t seem to mind it. We’re either sitting there next to our own young children, or enjoying it as a “drama-free table.”
And last – we were curious how big our family gatherings are. A significant 64% of us sit down to a Thanksgiving meal with 10 or more people, while the rest of us enjoy a more intimate company.
Those are some of our statistics, but in the big picture they’re just numbers. They don’t really do the holiday justice, so we asked our staff to share some of their Thanksgiving adventures and stories – and trust us, they’re worth the read!
Reader Comments (3)
Thanks for sharing your Thanksgiving experiences! I enjoyed reading it! I can visualize the whole happenings!
Nice blog! Everyone of us has own thanksgiving experience its great to have it in your life thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Interesting site. Thank you, you describe the topic very well.