Accents recently polled the student body and faculty to ask some hard-hitting questions about controversial Thanksgiving foods. The poll received 216 responses, each containing an IHA community member’s sacred opinions – some common, others not as much. How does your opinion compare to your peers and teachers?

Cranberry sauce? 

Accents drafted this question with the intention of deciding between store-bought and homemade cranberry sauce; IHA overwhelmingly declared that the best cranberry sauce is: none.  

52.8% of voters selected the option of “I do not like either” type of cranberry sauce.  

28.2% preferred store-bought cranberry sauce.

19% preferred homemade cranberry sauce. 

Communications teacher Mr. Bernardi elaborates, “Cranberry sauce tastes awful. It’s only served because it’s a tradition for many. Does anyone really ever eat it on any day other than Thanksgiving? I don’t think so.”  

Pie? 

Voters were given the choice between apple pie, pumpkin pie, a different kind of pie, or no pie at all. 

The majority of voters, at 52.8%, selected apple pie. The voters who chose to explain mostly attributed it to taste and the ability to pair it with vanilla ice cream. Some also commented on the enjoyment of baking an apple pie, such as Kaitlyn LeSuer’24, who wrote, “My cousins always make me their apple pie and they are always so proud of it. I never ate pie until they started baking it every time they visited.”

Pumpkin pie received the second most amount of votes, at 67 (31%). Most explained their choice as the flavor of pumpkin matching fall in a way that apple cannot. Megan McCarthy’25 explains “The season is for pumpkin.” 

13% did not like pie at all. 

3.2% likes pies, but not apple or pumpkin

Pumpkin Spice Lattes? 

The seasonal Starbucks drink is associated with the changing leaves, cooler temperatures – and “basic” culture. The IHA community is split on whether or not this latte should hold its spot at the top of the fall drink pyramid. 

56.5% of voters picked that they liked Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Olivia Morrison’23 elaborates, “They get you in the fall mood and they are the perfect mix of sweet and spice.” 

43.5% of voters disagreed, selecting that they did not like Pumpkin Spice Lattes. Cara Kochakian’22 defends this choice, writing “I think they’re so average and are really overhyped.” 

Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows?

The division among students and faculty only increased over this sweet side dish. 

 51.9% of voters chose that they did not like Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows. Julia Livolsi’24 explains, “Absolutely disgusting. Why are we mixing veggies with marshmallows? Makes me want to PUKE.” 

48.1% of respondents selected that they do like the dish. Ms. Nudelman writes, “The marshmallows – just a bit browned – add another layer of flavor to the sweet potatoes. That extra bit of sweetness makes the sweet potatoes so delicious.”

The WORST Thanksgiving Food? 

For both the worst and best Thanksgiving food questions, respondents were given a choice of turkey, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, green beans, macaroni and cheese, pumpkin pie, and mashed potatoes. 

No item is accepted by the majority of IHA as the worst, but the food that received the most votes (39.8%) is cranberry sauce. 

Sweet potato casserole received the second-highest amount of votes at 17.1% of the response poll. 

Turkey received 15.7% of the vote. The most common complaint was the dry taste and preferring chicken. Deanna Paladino’22 defends her choice, writing “Turkey sometimes has a weird taste, chicken is better.”

Green beans received 15.3% of the vote. 

Macaroni and cheese received 6% of the vote.

Pumpkin pie received 4.6% of the vote.

Mashed potatoes received the least amount of votes, at 3 (1.4%). 

The BEST Thanksgiving Food?

Creamy mashed potatoes dominated IHA’s taste buds, receiving 46.8% of the vote. All other dishes received around 10% – except green beans, which received 1.4% of the vote.

When you reach for a second helping of mashed potatoes or push around the cranberry sauce on your plate, know that your IHA sisters are doing it too. IHA’s Accents hopes you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Jessica Boyd’22