Turkey....is that the main dish?

As I have mentioned it few times that Thanksgiving is not observed in my part of the world. Whatever I know about the festival comes from the different sources, be it films and shows from Hollywood or reading on digital platforms and meeting friends from other parts of the world who celebrate it.
From all the impressions that I got from these sources, I developed a strong belief that Turkey is one irreplaceable and inseparable part of Thanksgiving dinner. I was surprised when I was invited for a Thanksgiving dinner by one co worker. She assured me that there would be enough choices for me being a vegetarian. And indeed there was. What came as surprise to me was that there was no Turkey as I imagined. It seems that she puts Turkey every alternate year. And thus year, it was turn of a special baked tilapia fish coming from her grandmother. It seems that they would alternate between Turkey recipe from her mother in law and the fish recipe from her grandmother.
It was like a surprise for me. All these years I had an impression that Thanksgiving celebration is synonymous with a feast where Turkey took the center stage and was the star of the feast.

I want to know from friends here who celebrate Thanksgiving. Is Turkey a must for your Thanksgiving dinner?
 
To be fair, turkey is not my thing. It’s okay, but it always feels a bit tough compared to chicken. I know that the some people hype it for Thanksgiving and all, but for me, I prefer chicken. Maybe I never eat the “proper” turkey, who knows. But I don’t really see it as some special main dish like that.
 
I don't celebrate Thanksgiving but I do know that turkey gets mentioned a lot on Thanksgiving :) I also know that some people prefer ham instead of turkey when it comes to Thanksgiving :)
 
@uptrendfinancialsignal . I am a vegetarian by choice. I have tried chicken and fish but nothing else. So, I am not the right person to compare and comment. I have heard from friends those who have tried everything. One friend said that turkey has more fat under the skin and so it's greasy and juicy. He prefers it over chicken. Other one never liked the taste of the meat of turkey and prefers chicken. He mentioned that despite the fat under skin, the flesh is dry. You are right that it would depend on the way it is prepared. That plays a huge role.

@Shortie . Oh! I assumed that you celebrate Thanksgiving. Yes, for an outsider like us who get all the impression about the celebration from what we see and read, turkey would be the main spot holder of the dinner. But it is not so. People do prefer other things like ham or chicken. Many say that turkey is too dry( well, I am sure it needs a right preparation). And I assume that it would get too expensive around the festival and many would avoid it.
 
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