By Cole Tomlin, Staff Writer

Mmmmm, you walk into the kitchen on Thanksgiving day to the lovely smell of roasted turkey, honey-cooked ham and brown gravy filled with giblets. Sounds good, right? 

Maybe this sounds good to you carnivorous parents out there, but some of us kids have a different view of how Thanksgiving should be.

I am not alone when I say that eating meat on Thanksgiving is old news.

Think about it: The best foods on Thanksgiving are the side dishes – sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and the Hawaiian rolls. And please, let us not forget about the meatless desserts such as pecan pie, pumpkin pie and bread pudding.

Say you’re the type of person who likes a central dish that brings all of the side dishes together. This is not a problem, as there are many different options besides the traditional turkey for vegetarians, pescatarians and vegans.

If you’re vegetarian, you could try a nice egg-based quiche or a savory tomato soup filled with an array of veggies and spices.

Or maybe you’re a singled-out pescatarian like me. If so, I would recommend a sweet garlic, brown sugar-glazed salmon or a honey garlic shrimp skillet.

However, if you are a vegan in a family full of meat-eaters, you may have a harder time trying to eat on Thanksgiving. Almost every dish has either dairy or poultry products such as eggs.

But don’t fret, my fellow vegans – I’ve got your back.

Some of the best foods ever are vegan, and no one even knows about them. Take classic ratatouille, for example, which is filled with a range of flavorful vegetables all in one meal. Disney even made an entire movie about this dish and no one ever talks about it. Or, try quinoa-stuffed avocado, which is literally just an avocado cut in half and filled with colorful quinoa.

All of these different foods make Thanksgiving much better in many different ways. They add a variety of colors and foods that will make your Thanksgiving so much more unique than everyone else’s when they are just eating a boring turkey. Plus, not only will it taste better, but it will also make your Thanksgiving healthier. And you probably won’t feel that familiar tightening of the pants after you are done eating, either.

Given all of the proof that a non-meat Thanksgiving is better, I still understand that some families, like my own, will never change their mind about meat. However, that will not stop me from eating a non-meat Thanksgiving, and it shouldn’t stop you, either.

I encourage you to stand up to your carnivorous family and join me for a meatless Thanksgiving.

Junior Cole Tomlin can be reached at 21tomlinco11@daretolearn.org.