Happy Moods and Full Stomachs

Andalusian Editors’ Thanksgiving Favorite Memories and Foods

Photo by Antonia Nowels / Maclay Andalusian

After students had their last classes on Friday and were excused for the break, our Andalusian Editorial Board was seen traveling around the world and eating amazing food. From the normal mashed potatoes and turkey, to more unique dishes created by family members, let’s dive in and see what members’ favorite foods were over the Thanksgiving holiday! 

Our senior Print Editor-in-Chief Blair Bayliss stayed home over the break, welcoming her family who traveled from North Carolina and Orlando into her home. Her favorite food that she ate was the famous Thanksgiving dessert that everyone loves and enjoys, apple pie. Bayliss made this pie herself, spending two hours baking it in a small oven since her home oven was broken. With her family by her side watching, Bayliss’ favorite moment over the break was watching the annual Thanksgiving dog show. 

“The apple pie was my favorite,” said Bayliss. “I ate it with vanilla ice cream with cinnamon on top.”

Next is our Online Editor-in Chief Kate Bascom, who also stayed in Tallahassee while her family traveled from Clearwater, FLA. to visit her. Over the break, her favorite food was the mac n cheese and she enjoyed a pumpkin cheesecake; both of these food choices she made herself. During the break, she enjoyed running the turkey trot with her whole family, a family tradition they have done every year. 

“I really liked the mac n cheese and the pumpkin cheesecake,” said Bascom. “This was the first year I made most of the food and let my parents just sit and relax.”

You might have seen one of our members traveling to Charlotte, NC. That’s right, our Head Sports Editor Evan Starr traveled north to visit his family and spend the break. Along with enjoying the traditional Thanksgiving meal, he went to Top Golf with his family to have an ultimate golf showdown, so go find him around campus to ask if he did the best! His favorite food that he ate was mac n cheese and apple pie, which was made by his aunt and grandmother.

“The mac n cheese was really good this year,” said Starr. “Or the apple pie, that was my favorite dessert. [The apple pie] was warmed up and it had ice cream on top of it. It was awesome.” 

Taking a turn from traveling north, our Co-Business and Managing Editor Melody Yu traveled down south to Orlando, FLA to visit her family. Her favorite food, and most unique food among our staff, was sesame carrots, a dish that she and her family traditionally eat. Along with the food, her favorite part of the break was playing the game Mario Kart with her cousins. 

“My favorite food was the sesame carrots,” said Yu. “It's chopped up carrots that are marinated in sesame oil and soy sauce.”

Next, our Co-Head Editor Sarah Samaan enjoyed the Thanksgiving break with her whole family. Her favorite part of her trip was braving the mall for Black Friday shopping. She traveled to Buford, GA, where her family lives. She also enjoyed mac n cheese and pumpkin pie the most out of everything she ate over the break. 

“The mac n cheese was my favorite,” said Samaan. “Although, my favorite dessert was the pumpkin pie.”

Traveling all around the world was our Co-Business Manager and Co-Head Editor Nidhi Ponnaganti. She and her family spent the break in Cancún, Mexico; her family has a tradition of doing a big family tradition every year, finding a place that could fit their large group. Her favorite food that she ate was the mashed potatoes that she ordered from a restaurant at a resort in Mexico. Along with the food, her favorite memory from the break was listening to the speeches each one of her family members gave, a tradition they have. 

“My favorite food that I ate was mashed potatoes,” said Ponnaganti. “I was out of town most of thanksgiving so I didn't get the chance to eat a normal Thanksgiving meal.”

Next is General Editor Aubrey Whitaker, who stayed home for the holiday and welcomed family into her home. Her favorite part of the break was playing board games with her family. Make sure to ask her what games she played and who won! Out of all the food she ate on Thanksgiving, her favorite was the traditional turkey that most make, which was made by her mother. 

“My favorite food was the turkey,” said Whitaker. “I am not a big thanksgiving person and I liked the turkey more than the rest of the food.” 

Last, but certainly not least, is General Editor Everett Slocum. Slocum traveled to California with his parents to visit his brother, Maclay Alumni, Gavin Slocum at Caltech. This was the first time that he got to visit his brother since the summer, which was when he moved out. His favorite food that he ate for Thanksgiving was the spaghetti that he got around campus. 

“We had spaghetti for Thanksgiving and that was my favorite [food],” said Slocum. “I was visiting my brother at Caltech and that was really the only option I had.”