# It's not a holiday meal without \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [November 22, 2020, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214 "2020-11-22T22:12:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/1 "2020-11-22T22:12:56Z")
Name your holiday and the ONE essential dish or major component without which it just would not be the same. For me: Thanksgiving - Cranberry sauce Xmas - steak Passover - Matzo ball soup New Year - Baked brie Birthday - Chicken Kiev ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 10:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/2 "2020-11-22T22:20:27Z")
Thanksgiving and Christmas: Gravy ---
**Author:** ![TheCuse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thecuse/32/2854_2.png) [@TheCuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheCuse)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/3 "2020-11-22T22:26:38Z")
When I visited family for the holidays (Easter, 4th of July, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas) I was always expected to bring my deviled eggs. ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/4 "2020-11-22T22:29:21Z")
Martinstag: roast goose ---
**Author:** ![MissTake](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misstake/32/3189_2.png) [@MissTake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissTake)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/5 "2020-11-22T22:47:44Z")
Thanksgiving/ Xmas/ Easter- polish sausage. Doesn’t matter what the main proteins are, must have sausage. Birthday- cake. Regular, ice cream cake, cupcakes, doesn’t matter. Any summer get together or holiday- hobo potatoes. At all holidays, as far back as I can remember, we’ve had punch: pineapple juice, apricot juice, ginger ale in a massive thermos. It’s not a holiday without it. ---
**Author:** ![Acierocolotl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acierocolotl/32/6241_2.png) [@Acierocolotl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acierocolotl)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/6 "2020-11-22T22:59:22Z")
Thanksgivings require a tortière (which is basically a meat pie flavoured with cloves and cinnamon). Christmas requires a bûche de noël (basically a chocolate roll cake pattered with icing to look like a log). ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/7 "2020-11-22T23:01:32Z")
Oktoberfest: Obatzda is necessary. Well, so is beer of course. ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [November 22, 2020, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/8 "2020-11-22T23:19:33Z")
Sparkling non-alcoholic cider. Yum! Always, all family holidays. (Also a fire in the fireplace.) ---
**Author:** ![FlikTheBlue](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fliktheblue/32/10972_2.png) [@FlikTheBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlikTheBlue)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 12:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/9 "2020-11-23T00:03:21Z")
Thanksgiving - turkey and stuffing Christmas - tamales New Year - buñuelos July 4th - burgers and hot dogs ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/10 "2020-11-23T08:45:49Z")
Pavlova ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/11 "2020-11-23T09:38:55Z")
Hanukkah - latkes, of course. ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/12 "2020-11-23T11:48:58Z")
Thanksgiving = Stuffing New Years = Black Eyed Peas Christmas = Black Beans and Cuban Pork ---
**Author:** ![psychonaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psychonaut/32/4655_2.png) [@psychonaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychonaut)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/13 "2020-11-23T11:58:10Z")
> [@penultima\_thule](#): > > Pavlova For which holiday? I mean, I love me some pavlova, but I’ve never associated it with any particular celebration. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/14 "2020-11-23T12:01:09Z")
Christmas - a baked ham for grazing on for several days. And a box of After Eight Mints. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 12:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/15 "2020-11-23T12:08:04Z")
Green Bean Casserole for all winter holidays. We never make GBC except for xmas and thanksgiving. It has become a tradition to have it though. Everything else (turkey, ham, stuffing, cranberry sauce) is served throughout the year. ---
**Author:** ![Treppenwitz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treppenwitz/32/3445_2.png) [@Treppenwitz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Treppenwitz)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/16 "2020-11-23T15:53:45Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Thanksgiving and Christmas: Gravy Oddly, I agree with you. Well, about Xmas anyway - we’re in the UK. To expand on that, it isn’t Xmas without Trep Jr making his notorious Xmas Dinner Sandwich. Ingredients (all cold): two slices of bread, turkey, sausages, bacon, stuffing, sliced roast potatoes, parsnips, chopped brussels sprouts and, of course, gravy. (In truth, it’s more likely to be chicken than turkey these days; I’ve reached the stage where I refuse to spend 10 days eating the leftovers of a turkey that nobody really wants or even likes that much). j ETA: and now I think of it, it wouldn’t be Xmas breakfast without Mrs Trep’s treat of smoked salmon scrambled egg on toast. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2020, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/17 "2020-11-23T17:16:55Z")
**New Years Eve** : Chinese Food **Valentine’s Day** : Whatever she wants **St Patrick’s Day** : Corned beef **Easter** : Canned Ham **Mothers Day** : Beef Roast **Fathers Day** ; **Memorial Day Weekend** ; **Labor Day Weekend** and **Fourth of July** : Corn on the Cob followed by Grilled Burgers(preferably over Charcoal) **Halloween** : Candy!!! specifically M&Ms **Thanksgiving** : Turkey stuffed with HOMEMADE stuffing(not the instant crap) **Christmas** : I can’t think of anything specific my family had; it would vary from year to year from a Ham dinner to a roast beef to a lasagna. **My Birthday** : Pizza and ice Cream **My Sister’s Birthday** : She always seems to want Lasagna My other siblings don’t have anything specific they like aside from wanting a _chocolate_ birthday cake **"Super Bowl Sunday"** or **“WrestleMania Sunday”** : I don’t drink so Beer is out so I will go with Coca Cola, Pizza, and Popcorn ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2020, 10:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/18 "2020-11-25T10:35:39Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > _Pavlova_ > For which holiday? Christmas, Antipodean style. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2020, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/19 "2020-11-25T14:25:34Z")
Pie. Or more precisely, pies. Lots and lots of pies. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2020, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214/20 "2020-11-25T17:32:47Z")
Like, megadittoes. Also steamed turnips. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-not-a-holiday-meal-without/926214.md?page=2)