Vegetarians on Thanksgiving

When most Americans think about Thanksgiving, one of the first images that comes to mind is a large roasted turkey, the main staple of Thanksgiving dinner. However, because vegetarianism and veganism has gained popularity, many people are rethinking the way they do thanksgiving dinner.
Traditionally, turkey has been the main dish of Thanksgiving dinner along with stuffing, sweet potatoes, squash, cranberry sauce, seasonal vegetables, and pumpkin pie. For a vegan, many of these foods either contain meat or are made with animal products such as milk or cheese, putting them off limits.
Kenny Torrella, a junior at Middle Tennessee State University, has been vegan for two years. He is the only vegan in his family and made much of his own food for thanksgiving.
“It can be a little uncomfortable since most of my family doesn’t understand my eating habits. They are stubborn and closed off, but I just try to show how easy being vegan can be,” Torrella said.
One stereotype Torrella deals with around thanksgiving is the assumption that vegan food will not taste good. “People think my food will taste gross but I make tasty foods for my non-vegan friends and family like the chocolate dessert I made for thanksgiving this year,” Torrella said. The dessert was a big hit with his family, he said.
Greg Englar also has to deal with different eating habits at Thanksgiving. The NYU Junior is a vegetarian along with his immediate family. Thanksgiving, however, is a holiday he often spends with extended family.
“Even though most of our extended family knows that we are vegetarian, we still have to call ahead to make sure they know to leave some of the stuffing out of the turkey and other small things like that,” Englar said.
Just in case there isn’t enough food available without meat, Englar and his family bring vegetarian dishes with them to share. “This year we brought a Lasagna with us. Pasta is usually a good replacement for something like Turkey,” Englar said.
For Englar, the most important part of Thanksgiving doesn’t have to do with the meal. “I take the holiday for what it is, getting together with family and being grateful for what we have,” Englar said.
Liz Morissey, a junior at NYU, said she doesn’t find Thanksgiving a very exciting holiday, at least from the food aspect. She celebrates the holiday with her mom’s family, most of whom aren’t vegetarian. “My grandma always conveniently ‘forgets’ that my mom and I are vegetarian. She always tries to serve us turkey anyway,” said Morissey.
Morissey and her mother bring a vegetarian dish to eat while everyone else eats turkey. “It feels like a normal meal for me while everyone else is eating an extravagant meal,” Morissey said.
Angelica Kitchen, a vegan restaurant in the East Village, also has a different focus for Thanksgiving. The restaurant serves a $50 prix fix meal on Thanksgiving that is completely vegan and made from scratch. It has become quite popular, and people have traveled all the way from Florida to eat at the restaurant on the holiday.
Co-Executive Chef Amy Chaplin said the focus when building the menu for Thanksgiving is on creating the most delicious meal possible from vegetables in season. “We don’t think about how to replace the turkey. We ask, ‘What is the most delicious meal you would want to eat as a vegan this time of year?’ And that’s what we try to create,” Chaplin said.
Chaplin and the other chefs at Angelica Kitchen try to incorporate traditional Thanksgiving ingredients like squash and sweet potatoes into the meal, but they always try new and different recipes too. One Thanksgiving staple that is always present in their holiday prix fix is pumpkin pie.
The real focus for Angelica Kitchen is not on what food is served but how it is served. “We want to honor the growth and harvest of our food,” Chaplin said, “especially our plant-based food.”

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