Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Picture a 1975 Thanksgiving table in all its wood-paneled splendor: the turkey, sure, but also a shimmering tomato aspic, a green gelatin mold, a silver tray of radishes and olives, and a thing involving bananas we’ll get to shortly. We laid out a menu of 34 such dishes and asked our readers a simple question. Would you actually eat this?
Please note that some of the images in this article were created with the assistance of AI.
They answered by tapping ❤️ or 👎 under each food photo, anonymously, no names or accounts required. Over the course of a month, 369 readers weighed in.
The verdict was, in a word, brutal. More love than loathing overall, but a sizable chunk of the menu walked away with more thumbs-down than hearts. Pour yourself something and let’s survey the damage.
A 1975 Thanksgiving Table, Put to a Vote
Here are the numbers. Between Sep 26 and Oct 25, 2026, 369 readers cast 1,738 votes across 34 dishes. Overall, 59% of those votes were a ❤️, which sounds fine until you see how much of the menu got buried.
And buried it was: 11 of 34 dishes got more 👎 than ❤️. Roughly a third of the menu, voted off the table.
For comparison, across our Christmas food articles, 80% of 4,177 votes were a ❤️. Different readers, different articles, so take the gap loosely — but Christmas food clearly enjoys a warmer welcome than whatever was happening in 1975.
The Dishes That Got Roasted
❤️ 21% of 62 readers who voted on this photo
Let’s start at the bottom, because that’s where the fun is. The Candle Salad Made With Bananas and Pineapple Rings pulled a mere 21% of 62 votes. If you’ve never seen a candle salad, we’ll let your imagination handle it — and then you’ll understand the number.
Just above it, the Turnip Puff Casserole managed 26% of 50, and the Tomato Aspic Served With Mayonnaise landed at 28% of 64.
Rounding out the roasted: the Perfection Salad With Shredded Cabbage and Celery at 33% of 36, Wild Rice Dressing With Chicken Livers at 37% of 46, and Creamed Spinach Crowned With Chopped Hard-Boiled Egg at 40% of 38. The crown, it turns out, did not help.
All 34 Dishes, From Beloved to Banished
Walk the full list and a shape appears. A small, confident group sits up top: the Silver Relish Tray of Radishes, Olives, and Pickles at 93% of 73, Pumpkin Chiffon Pie, Light as Air at 91% of 54, and the Chipped Beef Dip in a Hollowed Bread Loaf at 82% of 51.
Then comes a long, sprawling middle, with dish after dish hovering right around a coin flip. Spiced Crab Apples at 60% of 50, Pickled Watermelon Rind at 59% of 56, Mock Apple Pie Made Entirely From Crackers at 57% of 35, Scalloped Oysters at 54% of 77, Giblet Gravy With Chopped Hard-Boiled Egg at 54% of 71. This is the vast neutral zone where readers shrugged and moved on.
And then the floor drops out into that bottom cluster — the aspic, the turnip puff, the candle salad — where even a generous eater hesitated. Persimmon Pudding With Hard Sauce joined them at 26% of 23.
What Readers Would Happily Pass Around Again
❤️ 93% of 73 readers who voted on this photo
Now the good news. The clear champion was the Silver Relish Tray of Radishes, Olives, and Pickles at 93% of 73 — proof that sometimes the simplest thing on the table is the thing everyone reaches for.
Right behind it, Pumpkin Chiffon Pie, Light as Air took 91% of 54. The one dessert that truly won readers over.
The rest of the winners’ circle leaned snacky: Chipped Beef Dip in a Hollowed Bread Loaf at 82% of 51, Celery Stalks Stuffed With Pimento Cheese at 81% of 69, and Watergate Salad, Green From Pistachio Pudding at 80% of 77. Apparently 1975 knew how to throw a cocktail hour even if dinner was dicey.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Appetizers Beat Everything Else on the Table
Grouped by type, one category ran away with it. Party snacks and appetizers scored 79% ❤️ across 287 votes over 5 dishes — far ahead of anything else, and the only group readers reliably wanted.
After that, things bunch up. Cakes, pies and puddings came in at 62% ❤️ across 237 votes, and pickles and preserves at 60% ❤️ across 162 votes.
The rest sat near even odds: sides and casseroles at 50% ❤️ across 490 votes, oysters at 52% ❤️ across 144 votes, and gelatin and molded salads at 49% ❤️ across 341 votes. The molded-salad era, it seems, has not aged into fondness.
The Bottom Line
So what did our readers tell us? That the 1975 Thanksgiving table was a game of two halves. The appetizer spread and a well-made pie still land beautifully. Once the aspic and the gelatin molds arrived, the votes turned into a coin flip at best.
With 59% ❤️ overall and 11 of 34 dishes turned away, this was a menu readers would gladly raid — mostly for the relish tray and the pumpkin chiffon. The bananas, we suspect, can stay firmly in the past.
How we did this
- Readers of our 1975 Thanksgiving table article tapped ❤️ or 👎 under each food photo between Sep 26 and Oct 25, 2026.
- 369 readers cast 1,738 votes on photos still in those articles. Each reader can vote once per photo. Votes are anonymous: no names, emails or accounts.
- Percentages are the share of ❤️ votes. The 95% ranges show how much a result could move with more votes; when two ranges overlap, we call it too close to call.
- Readers were reacting to photos of each dish, not tasting it. The food photos are illustrations.
- Food types are our own grouping of each dish.
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!