Can you have Thanksgiving without the turkey?

The Atlantic is touting brisket as a new alternative for Thanksgiving dinner — which raises the question of what exactly you can remove from your Thanksgiving feast before it becomes something else entirely?

For me, stuffing, cranberry sauce, turkey and mashed potatoes must be on the table. These are the non-negotiable. After that, you’re free to include whatever desserts, sides or secondary meat or vegetarian options you want.

Even when I spent Thanksgiving in Paris, France, there was roast turkey at the center of the meal. It came from the only store in the city that sold whole turkeys — an American grocery store serendipitously named Thanksgiving. The expatriates who run the store don’t just sell the turkeys, but opened up a turkey farm outside Paris to raise the birds specifically for the holiday.