In less than two weeks, everyone at Brown will head home for Thanksgiving and participate in age-old traditions like going to their hometown bars for Blackout Wednesday, eating way too much pie on Thanksgiving, and doomscrolling Amazon on Cyber Monday. One of my other favorite Thanksgiving traditions is Friendsgiving. At Brown, my friends have honestly become my family in some ways, so it only feels right to have an awesome meal together and give thanks for each other and all of the amazing things in our lives.
However, having a Friendsgiving celebration at college presents its own unique challenges, from dorm kitchens to budget constraints, but here is my guide to having a great Friendsgiving no matter your circumstances!
If you and all of your friends live on-campus…
Living on-campus can definitely feel like a constraint to having a fun, celebratory dinner. From cooking in dorm room kitchens to living small spaces, it can be hard to get in the Thanksgiving spirit. If you live on campus, I would recommend going out to a local restaurant to celebrate. While you may not be able to get traditional Thanksgiving fare like turkey and mashed potatoes, there are tons of great, affordable restaurants near campus that can accommodate large parties. I personally love Tea in Sahara (which has an amazing Lemon Chicken Tagine) and Chomp, which are both near Ives Street. In the downtown area, Track 15 is also a great option because there are tons of different cuisines and everyone can share. I think any restaurant with a lot of shared plates truly helps bring out the Thanksgiving vibes.
If you were invited to a Friendsgiving and don’t like to cook…
Most college Friendsgivings include a potluck element where everyone brings different dishes and shares. I always love this aspect of Friendsgiving because it brings such a fun, communal spirit to the event. However, if you don’t like to cook or are restricted by the dorm kitchens, there are tons of great dishes you can bring. Last year, I brought the Trader Joe’s Apple Crumble Pie and vanilla ice cream to a friend’s Friendsgiving celebration, and it was a huge hit (bonus points if you put it in the oven before to warm up). I also think you can’t go wrong with any of the side dishes from Whole Foods Mac and Cheese and Mashed Potatoes (these are also best served warm). Trader Joes and Whole Foods are both a ~20 minute walk from campus.
If you’re hosting a Friendsgiving…
Thank you for being the hosting friend! Hosting can feel overwhelming sometimes or like a lot of pressure to have the perfect event. If you’re hosting a gathering for your friends, make sure to start planning early and send out a spreadsheet so you can keep track of what everyone is bringing. Usually the host is responsible for the main dish, so make sure you plan ahead for that as well. Obviously, with the Thanksgiving theme, the main dish is usually turkey, but (in my opinion) it’s totally acceptable to serve rotisserie chicken instead. I also love the idea of having some sort of game or activity for your guests–whether that’s doing a round of rose, bud, thorn or playing a card game–I think it’s a fun way to get people excited!