Happy ham and lap cheung day? - November 24, 2003
Turkeys are Thanksgiving meal for most, but not all

SAN FRANCISCO (CBS.MW) — They don’t call it Turkey Day for nothing: About 45 million turkeys will be sold this Thanksgiving, and turkey is 35 times more likely to be eaten this Thursday than any other day of the year.

But that doesn’t mean everyone will be gathering around a roast bird this week. Of the 64 percent of people who plan to eat at their home on Thursday, only about half will eat turkey, not quite the domination you’d expect.

Alternative occupants of the center platter include ham, chicken, an Italian dish such as pasta, or a family recipe involving meat, pasta or vegetables, according to a recent survey by The NPD Group, a consumer-market research firm.

Olives are 11 times more likely to be eaten on Thanksgiving Day than at any other time of year, and nachos are 10 times more likely to be eaten, according to The NPD Group’s research, which includes interviews with 2,400 American consumers.

A small vanguard of Americans is toying with tradition by seeking alternatives to the standard turkey, stuffing and cranberries, with part of that change driven by Americans’ increasing willingness to try food from all over the world.

“Our palates (are) being developed with more international flavors,” said Kate Heyhoe, executive editor of GlobalGourmet.com and author of the recently-released “A Chicken in Every Pot: Global Recipes for the World’s Most Popular Bird.”
Plus, “immigrants are introducing their own comfort spices and ingredients,” she said. For instance, “Chinese families might take a traditional cornbread stuffing and add Chinese sausage, called lap cheung.”

Other cooks agreed. “A lot of our clients in different parts of the country are exploring less traditional flavors,” said Tom Stieber, chief executive of