These are the worst Thanksgiving foods: What dishes are the most hated on Turkey Day?

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and for the majority of Americans, that means sitting down with family and friends for dinner - the centerpiece of which is usually a roast turkey with all the trimmings.

Around 40 million turkeys are sold in the US during the run-up to Thanksgiving, but not everyone is a fan of it. If you feel queasy just thinking about that crispy skin and dry, white meat as it is carved up and served, you are not alone.

Turkey turn-off

A lot of people don’t like turkey, some say it’s too dry, too bland or don’t like the texture of the meat; others find chicken juicier and tastier - and then there are those who just don’t fancy eating poultry full stop.

But you can’t please everyone, and there is usually at least one side dish on the the Thanksgiving dinner table that guests will consciously avoid.

Apart from roast turkey, among the most unpopular Thanksgiving dishes is mashed potatoes. If the thought of dry, stringy, tasteless turkey makes you feel like running to the bathroom, you are probably in the same camp as those who hate mashed potatoes - another of the most hated dishes that gets dolloped out on the plates of repulsed guests on the fourth Thursday of November every year.

Mash from hell

Why do people dislike mashed potato so much you might ask? The simple answer to that is because it is revolting, and just plain wrong. Swallowing that gooey, white slop is like eating regurgitated vomit - without the flavor.

Another Thanksgiving condiment that some people will be giving a wide swerve on the 27th is cranberry sauce. Why? Sickly sweet jelly sauces should not be spooned onto meat, ever (disclaimer: unless it’s mint jelly). Some folks just don’t like the idea of mixing sweet and savory, and more than one unsuspecting dinner guest has been left traumatized after being served two of their pet hates at once: turkey AND cranberry sauce.

No to pumpkin pie

In a poll conducted by The Vacationer, ham came third in the ranking of most disliked Thanksgiving dishes - a list which contained quite a few vegetables (carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans). Which is fair enough, some people just don’t like veg or aren’t used to eating it.

Some people have a sweet tooth and some don’t - as confirmed in the survey. Over a fifth of participants said they didn’t like pumpkin pie, while others said they’d pass on the pecan or apple pie.

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