What are you most likely to hear around your Thanksgiving Day table? “I’ll just have salad, thanks” or “Can I get a second helping of that stuffing? And don’t be shy with the gravy!”? For many, it’s the latter. After all, the holidays are a time to indulge and enjoy. And as a country, we certainly do just that each Thanksgiving.

Here’s some Thanksgiving Day food trivia stats you might find interesting, courtesy of Nielsen and other reliable sources.

Turkey –

Americans consume 736 million pounds of turkey on Thanksgiving Day alone (about the weight of the Empire State Building).

Rock-a-Bye Baby –

Turkey doesn’t really make you tired; the tryptophan in the meat can’t gain much traction when there are loads of amino acids in your stomach.  It’s more likely that all the wine and beer you’re drinking has made you sleepy.

Step Aside, Turkey –

It’s no secret that turkey is a Thanksgiving staple. However, it’s unlikely that it made an appearance at the first feast. Instead, the Wampanoag Indians would have brought lobsters, deer meat, clams, and eels. Coming from Europe, the pilgrims wouldn’t have eaten turkey either and would have opted for duck or goose.

Potatoes –

We consume about 250 million pounds of potatoes per year on Thanksgiving. Can someone pass the gravy?

Ham –

The second favorite main course for Thanksgiving? You guessed it – ham!  About 77 million pounds of it each year.

Pies –

In 2017, 28 million pies were purchased for Thanksgiving alone. And that’s not counting the homemade variety.

The First Green Bean Casserole – Campbell’s test kitchen supervisor Dorcas Reilly was responsible for developing recipes for the backs of soup cans in the 1950s. Her most successful dish—green bean bake, or green bean casserole as it later came to be known—featured condensed cream of mushroom soup as one of its six ingredients.

Quantity over Quality? – Americans consume between 2,500 and 4,500 calories at the Thanksgiving table. That’s the equivalent of eating between four and eight Big Macs in a single sitting.

Fresh Pumpkin – If you like to take the “made from scratch” approach to pumpkin pie, you’re not alone. Over 480,000 pounds of fresh pumpkin are purchased for the holiday.

Make a Wish – Breaking wishbones to grant secret wishes isn’t an American original. The tradition was inherited from the British, who got it from the Romans, who adopted it from the Etruscans who believed that birds had oracle powers. When birds died, they would keep the wishbone and stroke it as they made wishes, which isn’t too far off from the modern practice.

And then there’s the day after Thanksgiving, the one plumbers affectionately call Black Friday. Not because they spend the day shopping, it’s because it’s their busiest drain cleaning day of the year. So, keep that in mind before you pour grease and fat down the drain, or try to grind up onions or turkey bones in the garbage disposal. But, if you manage to clog up your drain anyway, call in the pros – PC Plumbing, Heating, AC & Remodeling at your service!