Yes, you must serve turkey if you’re hosting Thanksgiving.

Telling people in advance only works if you tell them when you invite them - not later. I definitely don’t want to go to a thanksgiving meal without turkey but would feel rude changing my yes to a no after being told about the meal plans.

Don’t spring a thanksgiving lasagna on your guests, let them know the menu.

Honeybaked ham has great turkey!

If it's just a few of us, we do ham or a chicken. I'm just not a big turkey fan and it's too much food for my immediate family. Turkey also has pretty quick diminishing quality once cooked so while I try my best with leftovers, with that much meat it ends up going to waste.

Before we had kids my husband and I would just make whatever we wanted. One year we had chicken picatta.

I expect a turkey but it's funny because it's mybleast favorite part of the whole meal.

I agree with all the posters who said you don't have to serve turkey as long as you give your guests a heads up. Since this meal is so traditional in the US, it would be polite to just let your guests know if you plan to deviate.

Now I'm curious: what's cookin' instead?

I think it is fine not to serve turkey, but I also think you have to let people know. If they feel strongly, they cannot attend or they might want to plan eating a more traditional meal another day.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do think turkey should be served, but I don’t think the host has to roast, prepare and carve a turkey if they don’t want to. You can order it pre-cooked from Whole Foods, wegmans and other places.

Still have to carve the thing and serve it. How about a whole chicken or two instead of a turkey? But then there's chicken for other days of the year. What if someone serves up lamb at Thanksgiving dinner?

No.

Chicken is boring and every day

Turkey is once per year.

Don't be difficult if you are houng to host Thanksgiving.

Anonymous wrote:Thanksgiving without a turkey? If you are invited to someone's over Thanksgiving, do you expect to be served turkey? Will the kids miss out on Thanksgiving if there's no turkey?

Of course you serve turkey at Thanksgiving. If you don't like to cook it, buy a precooked turkey.

If you won't do the minumum for Thanksgiving, don't volunteer to host.

Anonymous wrote:I do think turkey should be served, but I don’t think the host has to roast, prepare and carve a turkey if they don’t want to. You can order it pre-cooked from Whole Foods, wegmans and other places.

Still have to carve the thing and serve it. How about a whole chicken or two instead of a turkey? But then there's chicken for other days of the year. What if someone serves up lamb at Thanksgiving dinner?

Anonymous wrote:We can’t stand turkey and never serve it, but we let people know.

Bingo

Anonymous wrote:If it’s just my parents and our immediate family we don’t serve turkey because none of us likes it. But if we include extended family or friends, we serve at least turkey breast alongside another protein to stick with tradition and meet expectations.

Yup. Protein plentiful just not turkey

Anonymous wrote:Personally, I think a good piece of salmon would just as good. Fish is somewhat historical for Thanksgiving. Probably not salmon though, but salmon is tastier.

Exactly..why a turkey?

I do think turkey should be served, but I don’t think the host has to roast, prepare and carve a turkey if they don’t want to. You can order it pre-cooked from Whole Foods, wegmans and other places.

We can’t stand turkey and never serve it, but we let people know.

Thanksgiving is the one “expectations solidly set” meal for the majority of Americans. So yeah, if you want to serve something else, that’s great—just inform your guests so they can manage their expectations…

…and plan their own real Thanksgiving dinner the Saturday before or after.