The One Food You Should Probably Skip For Friendsgiving

For those who get agitated thinking about Thanksgiving surrounded by family — all of them political pundits suddenly voicing their opinions, wondering when you'll get married or have children, questioning your career choices, or comparing you to a successful sibling — there's Friendsgiving. The unofficial holiday brings friends — the people you choose and who love and accept who you are — together for a celebratory dinner either on or near Thanksgiving.

Traced back to 2007, Friendsgiving gained popularity in 2011 after Bailey's Irish Cream used the holiday in an ad and the fancy, hair-pulling ladies of "The Real Housewives of New Jersey" celebrated Friendsgiving in their gangster-themed holiday episode "Gobblefellas" (per Merriam-Webster). And a Google Trends report shows a steady increase in searches for "Friendsgiving" and "Friendsgiving food" over the past seven years, with people on the east coast the most interested in the gathering.

According to The Atlantic, Friendsgiving is a thing for millennials the most as a way to stretch out the Thanksgiving celebration, similar to holiday parties hosted by friends and coworkers in December. To avoid stealing Thanksgiving's thunder, manufacturers have released Friendsgiving products, restaurants are offering Friendsgiving deals, and lifestyle websites have posted guides for hosting the new holiday.

If hosting Friendsgiving sounds appealing to you, we've gathered some dos and don'ts to keep the holiday stress-free, including the food you should probably avoid serving.

Considering the fact that 88% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving, 46 million roasted turkeys will be the table's centerpiece this year. To avoid deja vu and setting an alarm to start cooking, Greatist suggests nixing the bird on Friendsgiving in favor of a plant-based meal or an alternative meat, such as chicken, Cornish hens, or ham.

The USDA National Retail Report has provided a compelling reason to have pasta on Friendsgiving, too. The average retail price for a frozen turkey is currently $1.99 a pound, up from $0.99 in 2021. And according to the industry experts at Watt Poultry, turkey may be difficult to find in supermarkets and more expensive than ever. The low inventory and soaring turkey prices result from 7.3 million birds dying from the avian flu, the increased cost of labor and feed (inflation), and supply chain challenges.

To avoid shouldering all of the expenses, consider a potluck for Friendsgiving, with the host cooking the least amount, as they'll be busy cleaning the house. (After all, Friendsgiving is supposed to be stress-free.)