Thanksgiving has little to do with its turkey-related branding. While most people do enjoy eating the ever-famous turkey, Thanksgiving is really about being grateful for what we have and recognizing our good fortunes that usually go unnoticed. In this spirit, let us take the time to be grateful for the true stars of Thanksgiving dinner: the lots and lots of side dishes.

I am sure I am not alone in the feeling that Thanksgiving side dishes tend to outshine their birdy benefactor. However, identifying which sidekick is superior to turkey actually highlights one of their many strengths: diversity. In such a momentous occasion — the dinner of all dinners — turkey at its most creative preparation still remains a buttery oven fowl. But the dishes we all pair with it provide a window into our culture, family history and the discerning tastes of our often-chaotic palettes. Side dishes keep Thanksgiving dinners exciting for those who have grown up on them, and the new people who join our tables along the way.

In examining why our edible ensembles seem to outsing our feathered virtuosos, however, we must begin with an inevitable and entertaining turkey-bashing. Turkey tends to remain the same pedestrian poultry it was 4 hours before its high-intensity tanning appointment in the oven. Little can be done to save the dry and bland interior white meat of the breast, as the sheer size of the gargantuan gobbler prevents the true penetration of any flavoring. Some attempt to circumvent the insipid results of the oven-baked turkey and instead turn to the alluringly dangerous process of deep frying a turkey. While I commend the effort, these can only fail in redeeming the unfortunate plainness of our most extravagant-looking poultry.

Instead, take, for example, the mighty bread stuffing: its capacity to absorb the herbal flavors it is infused with and its amazing reheating abilities undoubtedly outshine the bird that encases it. I would much rather enjoy stuffing, which harbors a much more vibrant flavor profile than its progenitor, with turkey gravy, than the winged centerpiece responsible for the fine sauce. Even mashed potatoes seem to outperform their pale, plated counterparts; the creamy potato holds far better onto the salty, delicious flavor of butter than the hopeless dry bird. And what dish could possibly compete with the sheer theatrical value of the infamous potato-gravy volcano?

So, while I encourage everyone to enjoy the fruits of our fine fowl’s sacrifice this Thanksgiving, let us give a special thanks to the humble yet heroic side dishes upon our table, whether it be mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potatoes, ham (for those who are less bird-inclined) or the pumpkin pie. And let us give thanks for the humble yet heroic side dishes in our lives: our families, born or chosen, our friends and the things that make us who we are and that we are grateful to have every single day.

Happy Thanksgiving.