Thanksgiving is the one holiday where it’s socially acceptable to be excited to go home and see your dysfunctional family.

Everyone is gathered at the dining table, little siblings and cousins are zipping through the house, older family members are asking how you’re doing at school. Then someone brings out the dish that everyone has been waiting for, the turkey. Whether it’s roasted or deep-fried (which is a controversy all on its own), the turkey is the epitome of Thanksgiving dinner.

Except for vegetarians. They’re screwed — and I say that lovingly, as a vegetarian myself. Or maybe not.

When you really think about it, what other foods are associated with Thanksgiving? Mashed potatoes, corn, squash, casserole, cranberry sauce, stuffing, green beans, pie and whatever other special dishes your family traditionally whips up for the occasion. Also known as, everything a vegetarian can eat.

You don’t need the turkey to enjoy your meal. You might have to dodge the questions from relatives who don’t understand your decision to be a vegetarian: “Why don’t you have some turkey?” or “What’s Thanksgiving without the turkey?” And then there’s always the obvious statement of “This is the best part. You’re missing out.”

Vlad Mordach, a freshman majoring in biology, can’t imagine Thanksgiving without turkey.

“When I think of Thanksgiving, I think of friends and family having conversations over turkey,” Mordach said. “In my family, food always makes us happy, and food is usually meat. I don’t need that corn shit — maybe some on the side, but nothing gets in the way of my turkey.”

Well, vegetarians aren’t missing out. Most people weren’t born vegetarians. They know what they’re “missing,” and they don’t mind. For whatever reason — be it animal rights, dietary reasons or environmental factors — you became a vegetarian and you know you’ll survive. It’s probably been a while since you’ve had a turkey or any other form of meat. Just because it’s Thanksgiving doesn’t make it any different.

And in response to those silly, unanswerable questions that relatives like to throw at vegetarians, you can always suggest an alternative to the turkey, an additional dish that will satisfy everyone. The Food Network’s Rachael Ray suggests “lemon-garlic chick pea dip with veggies and chips.”

The recipe, which can be found on www.foodnetwork.com, promises a dish that will “keep the munching going on until dinner.” So, you can snack on that or another appetizer beforehand to balance out the lack of turkey about which your family is so concerned.

Manar Alherech, a junior majoring in chemistry, is a vegetarian who said that he doesn’t need to eat turkey to have a good Thanksgiving. His parents, who are Syrian, cook meat for Thanksgiving almost all the time. But he finds other ways to make do.

“The last time I actually ate a vegetarian Thanksgiving was with a bunch of my friends from The Treblemakers, which has many vegetarians and vegans,” he said. “Someone made Tofurkey, which was delicious, as well as all the traditional vegetarian Thanksgiving side dishes.”

And in the end, Thanksgiving isn’t really about the food. It’s about bringing families together (dysfunctional and all) and the celebrating of all for which we are grateful. And that’s something that anyone, carnivores and vegetarians alike, can appreciate and enjoy.