Whether it is the chance to kick back and relax, the days away from classes or the comfort of uninterrupted sleep, Thanksgiving break is a time to which students traditionally look forward. While some may revel in homey luxuries, others stick around Madison to see what the campus has to offer.
Many students who choose to pass up the opportunity to visit home for a few days often attend the annual Thanksgiving all-you-can-eat buffet at the Memorial Union’s Lakefront Café.
The traditional holiday meal, without the pains of buttering up the turkey and peeling potatoes, is open to students and community members alike. Meals are served from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
The smells of Thanksgiving foods are not appealing to all, however. For freshman Sarah Orlowski, an adamant vegetarian, the idea of eating a turkey is absolutely disgusting, she said.
“I will spend this Thanksgiving break like I always do … saving turkeys by risking my life and throwing myself in front of the hatchet before it meets the innocent bird’s body,” she said.
Freshman Patrick Elliot agrees with Orlowski, adding his mother’s meals are not top-notch.
“Instead of having the crappy meals here I’ll be having the crappy food my mom makes,” he said.
Kirby Gallie, who grew up in England, also looks at Thanksgiving food in a similar light.
“It’s not really a tradition for me to have turkey and all those Thanksgiving foods,” she said.
Although Gallie will be spending the break in her dorm, she is not planning on attending the Memorial Union’s dinner and is instead looking forward to the quiet that almost never comes upon a dorm’s hallways.
“It might be kind of lonely, but it’ll be quiet, and I’ll be able to get stuff done without distractions,” she added.
Unlike Gallie, fellow England-native Ginny Peat said she cannot wait for the chance to indulge in the traditional American food on Thanksgiving. Peat, an exchange student, is anticipating her first celebration of the holiday. She will travel to a friend’s house to spend the break in Eau Claire.
“It’s a new experience, and I love new experiences … Plus, I have cabin fever,” she said, adding she thinks turkey will be her favorite food of the day. But, she said she will definitely pass on the pumpkin pie, which she describes as looking “mank,” an English slang word for disgusting.
Despite living in a suburb of Madison, Craig Schiller is nonetheless looking forward to the chance to get away from classes and chill out at home.
“I love to sleep, and I never really get enough of it here, so I’ll be spending the majority of my break in bed,” he said. “Of course, I’ll roll out of bed for the big meal, though.”
Although Orlowski is enthused about returning to her hometown of Western Springs, Ill., she said she is a little tentative about forfeiting her newfound freedom for a few days.
“I’m not looking forward to having my parents implement their rules upon me, because I’m under their roof … It’ll be a little bit weird to go back and feel like I’m in the old-school teeny-bopper days,” she said.
For freshman Sean Horkhemer, the food, sleep and chance to be at home are all good, but nothing compares to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
“Why, you ask? Two words: The floats. To me, floats have always symbolized hope. One day, I wish to travel to New York and cut those tethers and free those floats to soar above the clouds. That’s Thanksgiving to me,” he said.
