When you hear the word Thanksgiving, the first thing that usually comes to mind is food — and lots of it. When Nov. 28 rolls around, what will be the best food on the table?

1. Turkey

“The turkey is what I look forward to most,” said Tim Leonard, a former culinary student at College of DuPage. “It’s really the only time of year where we get the chance to eat turkey, and I make sure to eat a lot of it.”

The versatility of turkey makes it a dish that can be recreated in new ways every year.

“I love how many options there are when it comes to making a turkey,” said Jack Thomas, a 28-year-old Berkeley resident. “Personally, every year we have two turkeys, one gets deep fried in a massive bucket of oil, and the other gets roasted in the oven.”

2. Mashed potatoes

For some people, mashed potatoes are part of everyday life, but on Thanksgiving they are the perfect complement to the turkey.

“Potatoes can be made in so many different types of ways,” said Mike Wagner, a 58-year-old Elmhurst resident. “It’s known to be one of the most versatile foods there is. When it comes to mashing them the key is a little bit of milk and a lot of butter, that’s how you get them creamy, and ready to eat with the Thanksgiving turkey.”

3. Stuffing

This is a food that is not made enough, considering we eat it one day out of the year.

“The only time I ever have stuffing is on Thanksgiving,” said Sarah Jones, a 23-year-old Chicago resident. “Honestly, that kind of disappoints me because it’s my favorite food to eat on that day. The combo of stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey, and a lot of gravy, just makes my mouth water.

“After this year’s Thanksgiving, I might just have to start making stuffing once a month, because I need more of it in my life,” she added.

4. Sweet potatoes

There are many ways this food can be prepared but on Thanksgiving, it seems like the preparation is taken to a whole other level.

“Regular mashed potatoes don’t do the job for me,” said Anna Buckley, a former DePaul student. “I need some more flavor and sweetness, that’s what makes sweet potatoes the thing to eat on Thanksgiving. A melted marshmallow sweet potato casserole is the way to go, it’s hard to pass up whipped sweet potatoes with a layer of marshmallows on top.”

5. Pumpkin pie

After a meat and carb overload, what better way is there to top it off than a nice slice of fresh pumpkin pie?

“Pumpkin pie goes hand in hand with Thanksgiving and this time of year,” said Lauren Shepherd, a pastry chef at Whole Foods. “During this season, it feels like I’m constantly making pumpkin pies and other pumpkin pastries. It’s definitely one of our top selling desserts in the month of November.

Thanksgiving is a great day to be thankful for everything you have around you, whether its family or friends or food.