The thread about unusual side dishes got me thinking about the main course. Of course the majority of people eat turkey as the main course. Which dopers don’t, and what do you substitute?
I usually celebrate Thanksgiving with my girlfriend’s family, who are Chinese, and we have curried crab as the main course, with various Chinese food side dishes. We always bring a pumpkin pie for dessert, though.
My mom does ham because of her dislike of turkey.
Personally I don’t actually have a set main course I always do. My only rule for thanksgiving is that the sides must include sweet potatoes and a friend’s fruit salad. Always. My main dish is really whatever I feel like. Pasta sometimes. Chinese food is never frowned upon. Or most Asian food. This year though I really think I want to do mushroom caps.
I’m sure I’m an odd duck in this though.
Me, we don’t really always have a big ol’ T-giving celebration with family. Sometimes we just spend it at home, and have whatever we like - usually a nice meal from a restaurant, picked up and brought home, so we can eat all weekend.
The side of the family that I’m visiting this year (tucked away in extremely rural South Carolina) always has venison wrapped in bacon instead of turkey. They like to hunt and are… very country. I’m a vegetarian, so I don’t partake, but I think it’s hilarious.
I made the mistake of telling my husband about Calvin Trillin’s campaign to make spaghetti carbonara the official Thanksgiving dinner, and he’s been wistfully suggesting it ever since. I did make it once.
Once.
I’m trying to get my folks to get a deli tray in lieu of turkey this year but I’m told it ain’t gonna happen.
No one in my immediate family likes turkey, so one year I suggested steak instead. We haven’t looked back.
My wife’s family is from Peru so they don’t take a lot of stock in the whole “Yay, pilgrims!” bit. They have a smallish dinner with either chicken or ham since no one likes turkey enough to cook a whole bird with all trimmings.
We’re Chinese. Growing up, Turkey was the side dish. For a gathering of about half a dozen families we would have one small turkey. Enough for everyone to have a little bit in deference to the holiday, but not the focus of the meal by a long shot. We had noodles and rice and all kinds of “real food.” 
In adulthood, I have made Turkey a few times. My husband is not Chinese and he likes the traditional Thanksgiving meal. He also graciously accepts Peking Duck at Christmas though.
I haven’t been to my family’s house for Thanksgiving in years. This year we are going and I heard that my sister is making a Turkey. Apparently my nephews have compelled her to tradition. They are half-Chinese so I suppose craving a traditional Turkey is reasonable. Hubby will be happy too.
There was a couple years that as a family we went on a trip, typically New York City around thanksgiving[it was probably my Dad combining business with a shopping trip for Christmas] back in the late 60s and early 70s. I can remember having Thanksgiving at Saito’s East in 69, at a no name Chinese place up a back stairs on a third floor where everybody sat at long tables and the menu was written in Chinese on banners hung on the walls in 71, and at some place I can’t remember the name of in 74 that was a sort of generic haut cuisine sort of place. I have also been traveling personally in other years out of the country and eating non-turkey as a result of it not being a holiday.
There were a few years at home we had something other than turkey before Dad died and Mom started with her alzheimers and got less flexible about things. We had duck or goose occasionally. 3 years ago we took her to the Red Osier [careful it might open with a loud cheesy voiceover] for prime rib, she really enjoyed that but was sort of whiney about not having turkey because she didn’t remember that she suggested the Red Osier 
[ooo they are having their holiday Wednesday 2 basic prime rib dinners as take out for $20 … I think we may have to do takeout wednesday next!]
We usually throw together our Thanksgiving plans about 3 days before, and my mom and sister and I always insist it’s going to be simple–sandwiches and soups, maybe. Then each participant starts gradually adding items she wants to bring, and by the time we actually get together, we have a pretty standard Thanksgiving meal along with all the sandwiches and soups and salads we’d planned in the first place. It’s great.
I’m making my turkey today so that I can make Thanksgiving Day vegetable soup.
When I was in kindergarten we had shrimp for the main dish. I thought my family wa s very brave to do such a thing. 
I don’t eat bird meat, so turkey is off the menu for me. Prime rib makes a nice substitute.
I dislike turkey and am making a slow-cooker pork roast for Thanksgiving day, then over the following weekend visiting friends will be having chicken-fried venison.
I loooove turkey, but my boyfriend’s sister is deathly allergic so all family Thanksgivings with that side of the family means roasted chicken as a substitute.
I’ve wanted to do some type of roast beef for Thanksgiving for several years running, but my wife won’t stand for it. She. Has. To. Have. Turkey.
For the two of us, even a small turkey is too much. She thinks roast beef is only for making sammiches.
Side question: for those of us who do have turkey pretty much every year for Thanksgiving, how many also have it for Christmas? (I don’t - it’s usually Turkey Thanksgiving and Prime Rib Christmas.)
We do “traditional” Thanksgivings on even-numbered years.
On odd-numbers, we do something different.
This year I’ll be doing a corned beef roast with cabbage and potatoes.
We started having roasted chicken instead. There is just Mom, my sister and me, I can’t eat much at one sitting and the truth is, I don’t even really like turkey that much.
I grew up on the border with Mexico and one Thanksgiving it was impossible to get Turkey (or afford it, maybe - I was pretty young so I am not certain). Anyway, we had rolled tacos. The entire family got involved in making them. It became a tradition. And now decades later, it is my family’s also.
Not being a turkey fan I don’t miss the bird at all. We do have stuffing and pumpkin pie though, but also refried beans. We use the best roast beef we can afford for the meat in the tacos.
When my wife’s family come to visit…they invariably bring a turkey for themselves. We let them, but we stay with the tacos. It simply tastes better.