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Thanksgiving is almost here and I am so pumped. Yet, there is something about this holiday that I don’t look forward to: stuffing my face with turkey. I just can’t bring myself to eat it given all that I’ve learned about what goes into producing that Thanksgiving Day bird of choice. I know Thanksgiving is only one day each year and if you want to eat Turkey on Thanksgiving I can’t blame you. At the same time, I just can’t sit back and let these facts go unshared.
Here’s an inside peek at some of my disturbing turkey knowledge:
(warning: stop reading here if you wish to continue consuming turkeys in naïve Thanksgiving Day bliss).
1. 46 million turkeys are raised every year just for this holiday alone. I like to think of these turkeys as big mutant cousins of the turkeys that the pilgrims ate. The turkeys on our tables are fed grossly high-calorie diets so that they grow unnaturally large at an unnaturally fast rate. Today’s farm raised birds become so top heavy that their legs can barely hold them. Their beaks and toes are cut so that they don’t scratch each other. Mr. Modern Turkey cannot even breed naturally due to all of his malformations.
2. Turkeys carry creepy pathogens. There’s this bug called campylobacter. It’s the leading cause of food-borne illness in the United States. Campylobacter is a dangerous little critter, estimated to infect more than 2.4 million Americans each year. Turns out a whopping 90 percent of turkeys produced in America are contaminated with our friend Mr. Campylobacter. This is a consequence of birds being housed in super crowded cages with less than three square feet of space to move and being regularly dosed with antibiotics. Speaking of antibiotics…
3. Turkeys produced on factory farms are fed a disturbingly large quantity of antibiotics as a routine preventive measure to ward off illnesses between them. When you eat turkey, those antibiotics don’t suddenly disappear like Harry Houdini. They are transferred directly to you. Oh and the bacteria that the drugs are designed to kill eventually morph into stronger, more powerful versions of themselves. Scarily, these bugs can transform into superbugs in which we, nor the turkeys, can form a natural resistance.
One of my (and my thighs’) favorite holidays is nearly here: Thanksgiving. Mmmm, it all just makes me feel warm and fuzzy (and full) inside. I can already see images of fluffy mashed potatoes drowning in a thick, sweet gravy…and that same gravy splattered all over the front of my empire-waisted dress. But whatev – totes worth it, especially since my mom loves doing my laundry during Thanksgiving break.
I haven’t met a single soul who doesn’t like to celebrate this gluttonous and family-focused holiday, and take to the couch for a long nap after a strenuous meal to the sounds of afternoon football. But beyond the cans of cranberries, Stove Top, and second helpings, does anyone really know the origins of Thanksgiving? Honestly, the last time I talked about the history of the holiday was while I was making hand turkeys in third grade.
So let’s do just that!
We want you to show us how much you know about Thanksgiving (beyond how to steal tastes of your mom’s homemade pumpkin pie without her noticing).
Since the only exciting thing to do today is count down the minutes until class is over and you can get the hell out of dodge, why not take the CollegeCandy Thanksgiving quiz? We won’t grade you or mock you (mostly because we knew none of this before we started Googling); this is purely for fun/packing procrastination/a party trick for entertaining your Thanksgiving dinner guests and showing them how smart you are.
Grab your #2 pencils and your graphing calculators, ladies! It’s time to get tested.
Even though being a post-grad hasn’t been an easy ride (biggest understatement of the year), I have plenty of things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving season. So in honor of the holiday and my new “the bowl of stuffing is half full” mentality, here is a list of post-grad things worth celebrating this time of year:
1. Graduation gifts – Luckily when you graduate, people give you gifts and money and things that you need. Even though these gifts are like “Hey, you’re out of college now and you’re kinda on your own so here is some luggage,” they make transitioning very happy.
2. I’m cafeteria free – Albeit eating in a dining hall and having a meal plan is convenient, not having to eat food made for 800 people is a dream. Do you know how amazing it is to eat food that is warm and flavorful? Maybe my alma mater wasn’t too fabulous in the food department (minus the Swedish meatballs … I lived for those), so I’m alone on this one, but I’ll take making myself food any day over dining hall slop.
3. I can wear my underwear whenever I want – Seriously, every time I would just want to veg out in my dorm room and just comfortably enjoy being in my underwear (with a bag of chips), someone would knock. (Editor’s Note: Thank god they didn’t just walk in. Awkward!) And you know, then you have to get up, put on pants, and open the door. Not now. I can wear my underwear all day and no one bothers me. Hooray!
4. No drama – Getting away from college has been a blessing. No gossip. No drama. Just memories and keeping-in-touch with those I want to (and staying far, far away from those I don’t). I don’t have to deal with classroom politics, and I don’t have to deal with drunken sorority girls elbowing me on dance floors. It’s great being able to step back from the stuff that made me go “Ughh, I’m so over it.”
5. I have a degree– Even though it may not be enough to find the kind of job I want, I’m glad I have my Bachelors and I’m glad I worked my ass off to get it. College went fast, but the knowledge and the subjects that interest me will last a lifetime. No complaints there! Read More »
With study sessions fueled by Hot Pockets and Monster energy drinks, Thanksgiving has been the light at the end of this dark tunnel. Seeing family and friends, eating a hearty home-cooked meal, and doing absolutely nothing but sleeping and shopping for days in a row… it’s almost too good to be true.
But it’s not! It’s real. And I’m so thankful for this refreshing calm before the storm that is finals that it almost makes me want to stay home in a cranberry sauce-induced food coma forever. Because as great as college life is and as grateful as I am to be here, there are a few aspects of it that I am oh so NOT thankful for.
Thanksgiving involves tons of yummy, delicious, calorie-filled foods. So obviously we LOVE IT. There’s no other holiday that celebrates our gluttony quite this well. Oh and we can unbutton our pants at the table. Double score. So we’ve spent a lot of time this month writing about this wondrous holiday and we wanted to make sure that you didn’t miss one single article. Because we’re the Thanksgiving experts — at least in our heads — and we want to share our knowledge with all of our wonderful readers.
The Dos And Don’ts Of Thanksgiving Break: Brittany teaches us how not to make Thanksgiving weekend as regrettable as that one night freshman year when you decided Patron shots were a good idea. Comment on your favorite part of Thanksgiving and WIN A BIG PRIZE!
Your Thanksgiving Break Packing List: Don’t forget your fat pants (most people do.) And your bar outfit for Wednesday. Really, it’s soooo important for your high school social standing to pack right.
5 Things To Know About Being Home For Thanksgiving Break: College life is great, but there are some really amazing things about being at home again. Here are some of the best.
Thanksgiving Dinner Will Wreak Havoc On Your Waistline: Kind of a buzzkill, but really valuable information. No one wants to go back to school with an extra five covering up the Freshman 15.
Intro To Cooking: Cranberry Applesauce: A sophisticated take on your favorite baby food. You’ll wow your grandmother with this simple,easy recipe.
The Black Friday Go-To Outfit: Turn the mall into a runway with this fierce yet functional ensemble. Oh, we forgot to mention in the post you should probably bring protective eyewear.
College, I Thank Thee: It’s easy to forget during finals week, but college life is pretty fan-tastic – so let’s give thanks. Where else can you walk of shame like it’s no big deal.
If there’s one thing I love more than gorging myself on turkey (and stuffing, and cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie… mmm… wait, what was I talking about again?), it’s loafing on the living room couch before and after Thanksgiving dinner and taking in some fine Thanksgiving television.
Holiday-themed episodes of TV shows usually follow a predictable pattern—the gang is planning some kind of celebration until everything goes horribly awry. But by the end of the show, problems have been solved, fights have ended, and everyone sits down together to enjoy a nice meal and/or some serious present opening, accompanied by a well-known holiday tune.
While most Thanksgiving episodes still adhere to the formula, there’s something about them that makes them even more satisfying than Christmas/Hanukkah/Valentine’s Day specials. Maybe it’s because they tend to be less cheesy than other holiday shows. Maybe it’s because I just like watching people enjoy a hearty meal. Whatever the reason, Thanksgiving episodes deserve some appreciation.
So, without further ado, here’s my list of the best Thanksgiving episodes. They’re all funny, entertaining, and heartwarming without being cloying—yes, even that episode of South Park.
[Click on any image to view the gallery]
When you think of Thanksgiving, the first thing that comes to mind isn’t family or a break from school – it’s FOOD. Obviously. And while it’s a great time to over-indulge in some of your favorite holiday treats, it’s also a great time to pack on some serious pounds. Between the actual meal, and all of the leftovers you will inevitably be snacking on (straight out of the fridge) for the rest of the weekend, you could be doing some serious damage to the hot bod you’ve been working so hard on all year. After all, the average Thanksgiving dinner can deliver up to a whopping 3,000 calories!
When you consider that one meal could contain enough calories to last you over two days, that’s kind of scary.
So here are some tips and tricks to indulging in Thanksgiving without gaining the Thanksgiving 30. But don’t go too crazy – after all, this is the one night of the year that totally revolves around food. You can and should definitely give in and treat yourself to your fave foods. Just make sure you’re not using a ladle to shovel it all in.
1. Opt for a lighter drink on Thanksgiving Eve. The biggest going-out night of the year almost always calls for some seriously heavy drinking. I don’t really know many people who AREN’T planning on getting completely wasted that night. Start your holiday off right by going for a lighter-calorie drink, like vodka/cranberry, vodka/tonic, or red wine. On a budget? Go for the light beer instead of that Corona.
2. Have a small and healthy meal before you go all out on dinner. It’s tempting to save all of your hunger pangs for the delicious meal awaiting you in the afternoon, but don’t. If you do, you’ll be so hungry you won’t even consider the calories you’re consuming. Have a light breakfast, like egg whites or toast with jelly. Munch on some healthy snacks while you wait, like almonds, fruit, veggies with dip, or hummus and crackers. These snacks will keep you relatively full so you won’t be starving once dinner comes.
It’s Thanksgiving week. You know what that means: more food than you’ll ever be able to eat, run ins with family members you’d really rather avoid and those awkward moments when everyone gathers together to say what they’re thankful for.
Friends.
Family.
Happiness and health and blah blah blah.
Those are all great things to be thankful for, important things, yes. But what about the not so important things, the little things that we all take for granted? Here’s what I’m thankful for this holiday season…
10. Trashy Tabloids. Reading about the problems of the rich and famous makes everything in my life seem so much less problematic. Sure, maybe I’m having boy problems, but at least my guy didn’t leave me for Angelina Jolie. And maybe I’m worried about wearing a bikini to the beach, but at least there’s no one zooming in on my butt cheeks. (At least not that I know of.) Celebrity scandal really helps me see the big picture.
9. Steve Madden’s Fall Boot Collection. Whenever I’m having a bad day, I just head over to Steve Madden’s website and stare at some shoes. Laugh if you want, but it totally works. They’re like works of art, I swear. And even though I’ve put myself on a boot buying ban until after the holidays, I still enjoy purusing the styles. And you will too.
8. Chocolate. I’m sorry; do you really need an explanation for this one? I didn’t think so. Read More »
Thanksgiving is a tricky holiday for college students. If you’re within commuting distance of home, you probably can’t wait to burst through your front door to wafting aromas of a decadent home-cooked meal. But if you’re one of the many students who opted to go to school out of state or far from Mom & Pops, you might find yourself stranded in College Town USA, especially if plane tickets home are too expensive to rationalize a short round-trip for Turkey Day when winter break is just around the corner. So don’t despair if you’re holding down the fort in your dorm with other grounded co-eds, here are some foolproof recipes that taste like home. Read More »
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