Kelly Ripa just turned a Thanksgiving side dish into the main course of online debate.
With Turkey Day right around the corner, the “Live With Kelly & Mark” co-host served up a healthy dose of discourse on Monday over whether a beloved holiday side item should be called stuffing or dressing.
According to Entertainment Weekly, Ripa was quoting a recent article on the proper names for the dish when she set off the debate.
On Tuesday, Ripa addressed the backlash she received over the conversation.
“Yesterday, I simply read an article that I didn’t write,” Ripa explained, according to EW. “So, don’t shoot the messenger. But, the messenger was attacked viciously. I talked about the difference between stuffing and dressing. I mean, forget any political discourse. The real discourse are the people arguing about stuffing and dressing.”
Ripa then cited regional differences in the nomenclature of the dish, stating that where you’re from plays a key role in how it’s named.
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“Basically, I’m going to say something: Get a life, honestly. Just get one. Calm down,” Ripa said. “If you’re worried about this, then congratulations, you don’t have actual problems.”
And Ripa may just have a point in her argument on regional differences.
In a 2023 article from HuffPost, the naming of the meal is described as “a subjective question at best, and limiting at worst. Differences seem to straddle geographic regions and, in some instances, racial lines.” The article suggests that the name “dressing” is typically used by Southerners and stuffing is more commonly used by those who grew up in the Northeast.
It’s clear that, whether you call it dressing or stuffing, the bread foundation of this dish is the flavor of the culinary heritage of the area where it has been prepared.
Read the full article here
