With Thanksgiving only days away, everyone has food on their mind. Townsend Harris students spoke to The Classic about what they are looking forward to most on their family’s Thanksgiving table this year. 

Freshman Sophia Aponte and sophomore Xander Webster talked about enjoying the traditional staple, mashed potatoes. Sophia said she enjoys making it with her father and Xander said “I just like the texture of it.” 

English and ISS teacher Kevin Schwab praised his sister’s green bean casserole, saying, “I am usually the one who gets the leftovers [of the casserole] because it has this crispy, french onion crust that only my sister knows how to make right.” Additionally, sophomore Sarah Permaul raved about her love for stuffing. “It just tastes very good,” she said. “There is just something about stuffing that I could finish in two days.” English and ISS teacher Katherine Gelbman said she enjoys her mothers’ sweet potatoes with marshmallows on top.

A number of students described the dishes that their families include in addition (or instead of) the traditional turkey.

Junior Valeria Quito said she likes all the usuals, and sometimes her family includes dishes like “Bolon de verde” (Fried green plantain dumplings). 

On the other hand, Junior Susan Sun looks forward to eating hot pot “because [it] gives you that warm feeling of family,” sophomore Kristi Kim expressed her love for a Korean rice cake soup, Tteokguk: “I grew up with it and it’s a warm soup. It’s really nice to eat during Thanksgiving, especially when it’s cold.” 

For others in the school community, their favorite dish depends on who makes it and where they eat, such as School Librarian Arlene Laverde, who enjoys her mother’s turkey, arroz con gandules, potatoes, and desserts like apple pie à la mode. Whereas, she mentioned, “If I go to my in-laws’ house, I like turkey, also the pernil [and] a different type of fresh ham [they cook].” 

Senior Annie Xiao usually celebrates with friends and family from church by ordering Chinese takeout. Also, “some people bring in traditional homemade Chinese food like ba bao fan (eight treasure rice), [but] the best part is ice cream puffs.”