Like any agency, TJA is a collective group of creative, opinionated minds. We love and welcome that! It’s not uncommon for our break room to launch into existential discussions about if hot dogs are technically sandwiches, or if you turn the air conditioner “up” or “down” to make the room colder.
Turkey Time™ is just a few days away, which is usually a great time to reflect on things we’re thankful for. But in true TJA fashion, we decided to make an opinionated game out of it.
It started with a harmless Slack poll: What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food?
One of the first responses: “Mashed potatoes are king.”
Not long after: “I think mashed potatoes are nasty.”
Just like that, the office was ablaze-and this blog was born. What follows are a collection of responses to Thanksgiving-themed Would You Rathers? from various TJAers.
Is your rationale among the TJA hive mind? Time to find out. Break out the pumpkin pie!
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1. For Thanksgiving, would you rather host or travel?
I am truly torn… I like to go to someone else’s place so that I can leave when I please, but if I host, I don’t have to go anywhere! I don’t have to sit in traffic or deal with packing all of my belongings-and then end up getting the “we forgot the champagne, can you pick it up on your way”.
Okay, I would rather host.
I was torn at first, but I think ultimately I would travel (I don’t have family in Arizona, so I’ve been traveling every year since I moved here).
With hosting, there’s sooooo much pressure about pleasing all the guests and their many opinions about food, seating, entertainment…Even if those guests are in charge of bringing side dishes, I feel like the host is responsible for SO MUCH. Overall, I’d much rather pack a suitcase and hop on a plane.
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2. Which side dish is superior: mashed potatoes or cranberry sauce?
WTF mashed potatoes easy win. Cranberry sauce is garbo.
I don’t like either of those.
Editor’s response: Thanks for the eloquent contributions, fellas. Brevity is the soul of wit, I suppose.
F*ck cranberry sauce. It’s literally mushy fruit slosh that doesn’t go with anything. At best, it’s a dessert that has no place next to my savory turkey, buttery bread and seasoned veggies.
Mashed potatoes, on the other hand, are the king of comfort side dishes. Potatoes are perfect in every form, but mashed up with an unconscionable amount of butter and dark gravy is peak potato goodness.
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3. Would you rather cook a Thanksgiving meal or clean up after one?
Honestly, I’d rather cook. I love to cook and bake! Plus, traditional family dishes are extra fun to make. Also, I can make food in advance, so I’m not slaving away over the oven day of.
Cleaning, scrubbing and soaking dishes is not fun. Neither is putting all the leftovers in Tupperware. When I sat at the “kids table” when I was younger, my mom would make me clean dishes and I HATED it.
Jaimie-clean:
I’m going to answer this question with a question: would you rather eat my extra dry, burnt and odd tasting food or have a perfect sink devoid of dishes and mess the following morning? I would definitely rather clean up!
I’m pretty good at cleaning, especially when there’s a dishwasher involved. Cooking, on the other hand, is not a skill of mine. Toss in grandma’s heirloom “Not Dishwasher Safe” china? UGH! I’d rather get my hands soapy for the evening and enjoy someone else’s incredible cooking skills!
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4. Eat a Thanksgiving meal without gravy or without stuffing?
I would very much rather eat a Thanksgiving meal without stuffing over a gravy-less meal. Gravy is that delicious mix of meat juices that, when blended along with flour or cornstarch, provides an exceptional taste that infuses flavor to any mashed potatoes and turkey meat.
On the other hand, stuffing is just an additional thing. It isn’t required!
Who could hate stuffing? It’s BREAD! My perfect stuffing is when it’s cooked individually, away from the turkey, so you can broil it at the end for that crispy top.
I don’t hate gravy, but I can’t go without the stuffing.
Garrett-both:
My answer is simple: both.
I’ve had 22 very happy years without ever eating either gravy or stuffing and I intend to continue that streak this Thanksgiving.
I will admit that my food palate is comparable to that of a second grader: narrow and based mostly on appearances. Gravy’s texture frightens me to the core and it looks like it would ruin the entire plate. Stuffing opens the door for danger. What is going on in that concoction? Why is everyones’ stuffing recipe so wildly different from one another?
Conclusion: I am that relative that you don’t want to invite for Thanksgiving.
Editor’s response: I am equal parts horrified and impressed. Well done.
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5. Experience Thanksgiving without television or alcohol?
Pass the wine because I’m passing on TV. You can only watch a deflated Sonic the Hedgehog parade float drag down 7th Avenue for so long before you, yourself, become deflated. And if football is on, the TV might as well be off because the game isn’t even registering for me. (I won’t understand football no matter how many times you explain, dad!) I’d be happiest listening to classic rock, playing board games and listening to my mom retell the story of that one time she forgot the corn in the microwave on Thanksgiving.
Coincidentally, that story also becomes a lot more tolerable the more wine I drink.
As a child, I would hate to have television taken away from me, especially on a holiday as “boring” as Thanksgiving. But as an adult, I can’t do family gatherings without alcohol.
As a parent, I don’t want my kids fixated on the television when they should be hanging out with their family, so TV gets the boot here.
Forget the booze and TV. With weed legalized, wouldn’t it be fun to sit around a table full of food and your family members after they’ve eaten some THC-infused butter on a dinner roll? Maybe throw on a few psychedelic records from your parents garage that have been gathering dust since the 70’s and see where it goes.
Like, forget the politics man, these mashed potatoes taste… so mashed, bro.
Editor’s response: This strategy would certainly dissolve any awkward family tension, but turns one rogue dinner roll at the “kids table” into a class 1 misdemeanor. No risk it, no THC biscuit?
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There you have it! We hope you enjoyed this little pre-turkey trot around some TJA personalities.
All jokes aside, we’re incredibly thankful for family, good friends, tasty food, our amazing clients and the super rad work we get to craft for them every day. We hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving and we’re looking forward to the holidays on the horizon!
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