ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) — A new poll shows 34% of Americans say turkey is their least favorite food on Thanksgiving. That poll was conducted by TheVactioner.com as part of its annual holiday survey.
Tyler Thomas is the owner and a butcher at Yard Bull Meats in Roanoke, Virginia. He says he sees a turkey-alternative trend growing, and he says you have options: “We are taking a lot of orders for standing rib roasts, plenty of other beef roasts, pork roasts, we’ve got a couple of pork crown roasts coming down the pipe.”
In addition, Thomas says duck, ham, and seafood like oysters have become popular options.
The trend appears to be driven by younger generations. Some social scientists say Millennials and members of Gen Z are not as tied to tradition as some older generations. They tend to gravitate more to gatherings of friends and prefer potlucks to traditional sit-down meals.
Some of their favorite holiday dishes are vegetarian options, seafood, and barbecue.
Thomas says he likes to mix traditional and non-traditional.
“For me it’s just a feast all day long,” Thomas said. ” I start with oysters, go to beef, finish with turkey.”