Put a fork in it

Good gravy!  I am fascinated (and astonished) by this Thanksgiving bill of fare, listing each state's most-often Googled dishes, as compared to other states.  (Turkey is ubiquitous.)  The Times cautions, "You should not interpret the dishes here as the most iconic Thanksgiving recipes in each state, or even a state's favorite dish. It’s possible that some dishes are so central to a state’s culture that people there don’t need to search for them on the web, for instance."

There are dishes here undreamt-of in this snooty Eastern enclave.  I mean, ooey gooey bars! pig pickin cake! dirt pudding with gummy worms! frog eye salad!  That last came first in Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, and Wyoming, and third in Utah, where it was topped by funeral potatoes.  The Times demurely comments that their "Stylebook warns against overusing the word 'unique,' so we’ll just tell you that we’re not aware of any other salad that combines pasta, fruit, eggs, whipped cream and marshmallows."

Actually there's nothing that this country won't call salad:  there's pretzel salad, strawberry pretzel salad, pretzel jello salad, snicker salad, cookie salad.  All of them "whipped-cream delivery devices."

Some states have robuster palates:  West Virgina likes deer jerky, and Maryland, sauerkraut.  Some are staunchly tradtional:  good old Squashachusetts and the Nutmeg State are for gourds and creamed onions, and Alaska for cranberry relish.  Virginia votes collard greens.  Oregon is all about vegan.   Illinois craves velveeta.  (What?)  Tennesse does coca cola cake.  There are offerings I thought would rank higher--but no.  String bean casserole, apparently, is fading out.  Even jello isn't what it was--or maybe these are dishes everyone does in their sleep.

Ethnic goodies embrace lefse (not only in Minnesota but in Washington state).  Arizona favors turkey enchiladas.   Florida likes flans, coquito, pavochon.

What else looks good?  Persimmon bread, smoked salmon dip, corn pudding, crab dip, apple cobbler, cornbread dressing, chocolate chess pie.  Mmm, turducken.  Garlic mashed potatoes, mirliton casserole, maple glazed carrots, venison stew, creme caramel. ...

What are your Thanksgiving dishes?  What have you escaped?

Nine