Other Thanksgiving Food Battles We Rejected

In coming to the all important decision to pit turducken against fried turkey we had to consciously eliminate other possible Thanksgiving day battles. Mashed potatoes vs scalloped potatoes? Peas vs carrots? Ocean Spray canned cranberries vs homemade cranberry chutney? While all of these qualify as important considerations, the reality is that the ramifications of chosing a winner in any of these categories are essentially insignificant to the bigger picture. That said...these are my two favorites from the discard pile:

1) Marshmellow Yams VS Green Bean Casserole Battle.
This is the battle of foods that someone will inevitably bring to thanksgiving dinner despite the fact they make everyone uncomfortable. These are the foods that everyone secretly loves, despite their gummy and slimy appearance. Regardless of who wins this battle everyone is really a loser as the result is a silent and smelly butt puffle that clears the room.

2)Mango Shrimp VS Jell-o Mold Battle
A friend said that she may be bringing some mango shrimp to thanksgiving as an hour d'ouvre. I have no issue with this but it got me thinking about what food gelatinous mango shrimp in a bowl could possible face off against. The answer is clear-the ubiquitiously feared Jell-o Mold. Growing up, without fail, my mother would spend an evening constructing a jiggly green and red structure adorned with grapes, apples, bananas, and other such fruits that would shock and confused the mouth with their textural disparities to the opaque to clear mound that encased them. The result is something that most stare at in disgusted fascination yet few dare to eat. Those that do will inevitably end up with a mouthful of mold and peas n gravy I suspect that as an adult I too shall someday go down this road, if only to horrify my children and make them be thankful that I'm not cruel enough to make them actually eat it.