Your Thanksgiving Meal, Harvard Square Style

By Megan M. Ross

If you aren’t going home for Thanksgiving, never fear. You won’t be alone on campus for Turkey Day. In fact, plenty of students stay on campus for the weekend. If you’re feeling antisocial and don’t want to go to the HUDS Thanksgiving dinner, or just want a small celebration with your close friends, here’s how you can make your own Thanksgiving feast from your favorite Square retailers.

The Turkey

The bird is obviously the most important (and the hardest) part of any Thanksgiving meal. But lucky you—your dorm room doesn’t have a kitchen, so you’re not expected to make one! You can cop out on this one and pick up pre-cooked chicken breast from Broadway Market. If you’re seriously jonesing for the real thing, see if they have any in their hot food bar.

Potatoes

Every family has their own preferred potato style for this holiday: mashed, au gratin, lyonnaise… the list goes on. But you are a college student with a limited budget, so we will be sticking to the two purest forms of potato: fries and chips. Grab a bag of Lay’s (or Cape Cod, if you want to impress your guests) from the trusty 24-hour CVS. For fries you have a couple of options: Shake Shack for crinkle-cut, Charlie’s for waffle, or Clover for rosemary (fancy!).

Peas

These you can actually make in the comfort of your own home. Get a bag of frozen peas from CVS, Trader Joe’s, or pretty much anywhere with a frozen section. Toss those bad boys into a bowl with some water, place them in your HSA-issue microfridge, and nuke ‘em for 2 to 3 minutes. If you’re really feeling it, snag some new salt and pepper grinders from the d-hall and go wild.

Cranberry Sauce

We are honestly at a loss for how to improvise such a strange dish that people literally eat once per year. RIP Market’s holiday-themed hot food station. Tatte is selling “Cranberry Pear Compote” as part of their Thanksgiving menu…but for $12 a pound. No thanks. Maybe skip this one.

Dessert

While the turkey may be the centerpiece of the Thanksgiving meal, dessert is obviously the crowd favorite. It’s also the easiest to do on this list. Petsi Pies is a whole institution devoted to pies. Buy a pie there. Eat with friends. End of story.

Drinks

For an occasion such as this, the month-old box of Franzia Sunset Blush in your room won’t do. Swing by C’est Bon for some celebratory Andre, a bottle of wine, or some rum to spike hot cider with. After all, what’s a good Friendsgiving if not an excuse to rage? Cheers to a five-day weekend!