MAINE, USA — Career-building website Zippia recently released its findings for the most popular Thanksgiving sides in each of the 50 states, based on its analysis of Google searches.
Most states were told mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, stuffing, rolls, or other timeless classics are their favorite. But if you look up at the top righthand corner of the map, one state is colored green. Side salad green.
That's right, Mainers. We've been told our favorite Thanksgiving side dish is salad. Salad.
Does a good salad make a difference at the table on Turkey Day? Certainly. It gives feasters a welcome interruption from carbs, meat, etc. and allows them to catch their breath and feel a little healthier on one of the most glutenous days of the year. But to say its the most popular Thanksgiving side in Maine is downright insulting.
Honestly, it would have been better if Zippia had just pandered and said 'lumberjack stew,' 'lobsterman's casserole,' 'moose pudding,' or some other seemingly made-up dish that probably actually exists in at least one Maine household.
And what about Aroostook County potatoes?! Mashed potatoes would have been a perfectly acceptable choice.
Look, I'm not trying to take anything away from other states. South Dakotans love crescent rolls? Good for them, all the Pillsbury to 'em. From Delaware down to Georgia is mac and cheese country? I'm sure it is; mac and cheese is a wonderful dish beloved by many. States across the nation are crazy for casserole? Of course they are. So why is Maine the lone state relegated to the ranks of 'side salad'?
Maine can be a cold place in November. We are people who can tough it out in the cold, but we also welcome warmth when we can get it. At a table of steaming hot dishes on a chilly Thanksgiving evening, a Mainer is going to choose salad over everything else? I'm not buying it.
Plus, is salad even considered a Thanksgiving side dish? I certainly don't want to discourage healthy eating, and salad does go with everything, but... it certainly isn't a side dish that comes to mind when thinking of the Thanksgiving classics.
Maybe I'm completely wrong. Maybe Mainers do look forward to Thanksgiving for the salad above all else. Apparently somebody in the state is doing a lot of salad-related Googling. All Mainers can do is take a little time for introspection and decide whether Zippia is speaking for Maine's masses.
Read Zippia's full analysis HERE.