Cross-Cultural Menu Ideas For A Code Switch Thanksgiving

By Leah Donnella

Published November 23, 2015 at 3:16 PM CST

Thanksgiving dinner. So much room for hope. So much room for disappointment.

It's time to stop dancing around the issue. Thanksgiving food is trash. Sitting down to a standard Thanksgiving meal means negotiating between dry and bland or lukewarm and sticky. But it doesn't have to be. If there's one thing we learned the first time around, it's that Thanksgiving is all about "borrowing" from others.

In the spirit of cultural exchange, here are some ideas we took from our followers on Twitter, Thanksgiving classics transformed into vibrant new fusion dishes. Use them as they are, add your own spice and feel free to mix and match. Any way you slice it, that Adobo turkey is going to be dope.

1. Turkey. It's not Thanksgiving without that festive holiday bird. Instead of eating meat that tastes like wet chalk, you could:

@NPRCodeSwitch When you're marinating the turkey, rub it down with Adobo (the one with lemon) and drizzle the gravy over the whole thing.
— Annelisa J. Purdie 🐏 📜 🌾 (@RosyShepherdess) November 20, 2015

@NPRCodeSwitch Tandoori turkey! It looks a little funny cause it’s red but it tastes perfect.
— Tasneem Raja (@tasneemraja) November 20, 2015

I use this Puerto Rican wet rub on my Turkey and top it off w/ an apple cider/rum glaze https://t.co/sPR0e5cgoU @NPRCodeSwitch
— Jimmy McCarty (@jwmccarty) November 20, 2015

@NPRCodeSwitch recaito to marinate the turkey 24 hours before seasoning & cooking. TRUST. 🔥🔥🔥
— Christopher Smith (@infinitewords14) November 20, 2015

2. Mashed potatoes. Ever cold, ever oversalted and underseasoned. Rather than mashed potay-nos, try serving:

@NPRCodeSwitch Sometimes a bit of miso in the gravy. Add mizuna greens and scallions in mashed potatoes for a kind of colcannon.
— Froward Jason (@JasnTru) November 20, 2015

@nprcodeswitch Chipotle Bacon Sweet Potatoes. Three different salsas at the table. Pan Dulce for breakfast on Thanksgiving day.
— monica (@monicasegura) November 20, 2015

@nehamargosa @tasneemraja @NPRCodeSwitch Also, podimaas instead of mashed potatoes. (https://t.co/iu01Jl6Zsv)
— lavanya murali (@anthrocharya) November 20, 2015

3. Stuffing. Sick of filling your turkey with damp croutons? Do this instead:

@NPRCodeSwitch I make Puerto Rican mofongo as turkey stuffing for my wife's American family #Thanksgiving.
— Paul Jennemann (@profepj3) November 20, 2015

@AskLeezul @NPRCodeSwitch we always have a Lebanese bird, stuffed with rice, ground beef, pine nuts, caramelized onions, raisins, spices
— jaymileeh (@jaymileeh) November 20, 2015

@NPRCodeSwitch my mother stuffs the turkey with glutenous rice. I will probably stirfry the green beans and onions
— C. (@caitlinchris) November 20, 2015

4. Green bean casserole. For the love of all things holy, put those mushroom soup cans away. Green beans are a sensitive vegetable, and they deserve some finesse:

@NPRCodeSwitch Shitake mushrooms and shallots are pretty good with green beans! I skip the cream of mush, tho
— HapaMama (@HapaMamaGrace) November 20, 2015

@NPRCodeSwitch My Mex Ma makes great green beans by sautée-ing them in Knorr Chick bouillon+garlic. They are AMAZING. Hot seeds optional.
— Allison C (@allimuffin) November 20, 2015

5. Drinks. There's really only one way to go here:

@NPRCodeSwitch Champagne with hors d'oeuvres, wine w dinner, brandy or Calvados after dessert. It's a high-proof day,
— Not THAT Karen, thank you (@karenbates) November 20, 2015

And if you're squeamish about deviating from tradition, we totally get that. Keep it classic if you must, but for everyone's sake, go ham on those leftovers.

@NPRCodeSwitch The fam won't fool w the T-day menu, but we go crazy w leftovers: stir fry w lemongrass and veg, yams glazed in chile-honey..
— Not THAT Karen, thank you (@karenbates) November 20, 2015

@NPRCodeSwitch oh, and last year we repurposed leftover colcannon as Japanese-style croquettes. https://t.co/xeacDGWpb8
— Froward Jason (@JasnTru) November 20, 2015

@NPRCodeSwitch Miso-roasted root vegetables! And we make congee with the leftover turkey.
— Rebecca Tran (@beckietran) November 20, 2015

@NPRCodeSwitch also, the leftover turkey goes into a matzo ball soup.
— Gabe Rosenberg (@GabrielJR) November 20, 2015

Let us know what concoctions you wind up with, and be sure to send the photos to @NPRCodeSwitch.

P.S. Before the hate mail starts rolling in, let's get something out of the way: We see you, mac and cheese. We see you, pumpkin/sweet potato/pecan pie. Keep on keeping on.