Thanksgiving is traditionally a time to gather with friends, family, and loved ones to celebrate with food and merriment. However, New Orleans is nothing if not a little strange, and that means there are plenty of fun (if not exactly traditional) things to do on Thanksgiving Day if you’re not gathering around the dinner table with loved ones for the holiday. Ian McNulty, food writer for The Advocate, points to Parkway’s Thanksgiving poboy as a perfect example of the Crescent City offering a truly unique experience on and off the plate for the holiday. "It's always a festive scene. New Orleans people often come dressed up ... and I don't mean for church," McNulty chuckled. "It's almost like a Mardi Gras vibe with people in Thanksgiving-inspired costumes. There are giant turkeys walking around having drinks ... it's a great scene," he emphasized.
While Thanksgiving Day is still down the stretch, the Thanksgiving menu specials are already rolling out across the Crescent City. “New Orleans is such a food city that even before Thanksgiving, which is one of the biggest food days of the year for all of America, we still have to get in on it early,” says McNulty. “The Thanksgiving poboy in New Orleans is sort of like pregaming. It’s like tailgating for the big Thanksgiving feast if you can picture that,” he added. Luckily for those in and around New Orleans looking to ramp up for the big day on Thanksgiving, several restaurants are serving their crafty takes on a Thanksgiving poboy as a bit of an appetizer before the appetizers start flowing on the big day itself.
The origins of the Thanksgiving poboy can be traced to Parkway Bakery’s iteration of the festive sandwich and seems to have grown from there. “Parkway over by Bayou St. John has really made their Thanksgiving poboy into a monster,” emphasizes McNulty. Locals have caught on to the limited-time offering’s hype, so you can expect a wait if you’re trying to experience the Thanksgiving special, but McNulty says the experience is worth it and the food is only part of the adventure. "You're going there to be together with other New Orleans people in a jolly atmosphere. There are people dressed as giant turkeys walking around having drinks and gettin' down on a really good poboy, too," he added. It's a far cry from quiet conversations around the dinner table that many are used to. Additionally, money raised from the Thanksgiving poboy at Parkway Bakery is donated to the Al Copeland Foundation, which funds cancer research.
“You can go all over the country and find Thanksgiving sandwiches. Those are a regular part of the menu at sandwich places elsewhere. But, in New Orleans, we of course have the poboy. That gives people a taste of the holiday and a taste of the local together,” McNulty says. He also notes that a city as notoriously known for food as New Orleans treats the Thanksgiving holiday a little differently than most places, and the Thanksgiving poboy is a glimpse into that attitude. "The Thanksgiving poboy in New Orleans is almost like pre-gaming. It's like tailgating," McNulty points out. The home stretch of Thanksgiving is just around the bend, New Orleans. It might be time to "pre-game" with a poboy (or two).