I don't know if this is how everyone was raised or just the children in our house, but when we were growing up, we weren't allowed to leave the dinner table until we at least tried every single dish that was spread out.

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Make no mistake though, there were nights where we went to bed with a twinge of hunger if we didn't finish our meals, but I didn't come from a household in which mom made something special for each and every person for every meal. Nope, if we didn't like what we had for dinner, that was that. Quite frankly, now that I'm out on my own, I totally support that. I guess it's safe to say that rule has stuck with me like glue even into adulthood.

Whenever I attend a dinner party, it doesn't matter if I know my palate won't enjoy one of the side dishes or not, I feel guilty if I don't at least try a small portion of everything offered. Even on the holidays, if there's a side dish on the table that I know I'm not fan of, I'll at least take a half or quarter of a spoon full just to say I tried it. It gives me anxiety if I don't.

According to a survey about Thanksgiving foods, I'm apparently not alone. The survey shows that 68% of people will try a Thanksgiving side dish they don't like simply because it's part of the traditional food served on the holiday. The most hated Thanksgiving side dish that people still feel necessary to have on the table is cranberry sauce. Shockingly enough, even though it's the most disliked dish, people report feeling like something's missing from the feast if it's not present.

Luckily for us, most of the food served on Thanksgiving is delicious. So, if we have to suffer through a bite or two of something less-than-pleasing to our palates, at least it's just a quick sample tasting.

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