Being raised vegetarian, I've been asked plenty of questions from people curious about my lifestyle.

Do you eat chicken?

I dunno, did it have a face? Are there really still people in the world who think chicken isn't meat?

Omg, how do you do it? I could never!

It's really not as hard as all these carnivorous strangers make it out to be. It also makes it easier that I've been this way my whole life, and don't really know what I'm missing out on.

Wait, so you've never had bacon before?

No. No I have not and contrary to popular opinion, I've been carrying on just fine.

Is it cause you feel bad for the animals?

I can't get too annoyed at this one, because it's kind of fair. Yes and no. I mean, it's the circle of life, I understand completely, but it's just a personal choice.

So what can you eat? Salad?

There are plenty of other foods in the world besides meat, okay? I'm a person, not a rabbit. I'm not sustaining myself solely on lettuce and carrots, I promise.

How do you get your protein?

Ok, well maybe that one's fair, too.

I've gotten pretty used to hearing things like this when I mention being vegetarian, and for the most part, these questions and comments don't really bother me that much. But the one that definitely annoys me the most is when people ask "How is Thanksgiving your favorite holiday if you don't even eat the turkey?"

I mean, I understand that turkey is the first thing people think of when they think of a Thanksgiving, and I don't doubt how amazing a midnight turkey sandwich with stuffing and cranberry sauce and gravy is, but you're forgetting all the other delicious foods! If you think about it, a Thanksgiving feast is a vegetarian's dream. An entire table full of side dishes? Count me in.

Not eating meat makes eating out at certain restaurants hard. There's always pasta and salad, but if not, we usually just end up ordering some side dishes and calling it a day. So, an entire holiday dedicated to them is pretty much all we could ask for and more. Not being able to eat the main course often makes family parties difficult, especially when there aren't many other things to eat besides steak or burgers. But that never happens to us on this holiday. Not to mention, when you're Italian, you do Thanksgiving right. There is no less than five courses, and it all kicks off at noon with appetizers. But, food aside, there are so many more reasons to enjoy Thanksgiving.

This holiday is one of the few days a year that everybody puts aside their differences and buries the family drama to come together and enjoy the holiday. Usually, there is a tradition: You go to the same house with the same people every year, and eat the same food and drink the same wine. It's comforting to know that nothing changes and you can count on that one day with your family. So even though turkey is everybody's favorite part of Thanksgiving, there's a lot more to it than just the food (although the food is definitely up there on the top best things about the holidays).