Many would argue that Thanksgiving isn’t Thanksgiving without the essentials. You know — turkey, ham, macaroni and cheese, cranberry sauce, and stuffing.

Though the dishes are a big deal for many, some people truly aren’t fans of the most popular ones. One of those people is Hell’s Kitchen star, Gordon Ramsay. Years ago, the world-famous culinary chef freaked out after tasting what might be your absolute favorite Thanksgiving food.

Gordon Ramsay in an interview | Photo by Roy Rochlin/Getty Images

Gordon Ramsey hates this Thanksgiving dish

Ramsey absolutely despises deep-fried turkey.

In a 2017 appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Ramsay recalled the first time he had it. He said that he once spent Thanksgiving with a friend in Los Angeles who made the dish, which left him highly unsatisfied.

“It was f*cking disgusting,” Ramsay said. “Dry turkey…there’s a reason we only eat that turkey once a year.”

Colbert humorously replied, “I’m from the south, everything is deep-fried. We dip it in concrete, and then we deep fat fry it.”

Watch his comments around the 6:20 mark

Crazy, right? When it comes to the Thanksgiving feast, the turkey is arguably considered the most important dish. So, it can be surprising to hear people say that they dislike it.

But Ramsay didn’t diss turkey completely. He went on to say that he enjoys it when it’s roasted and when it has “bacon on top.”

Thanksgiving foods that Gordon Ramsay likes

On Thanksgiving, Ramsay likes to eat more unique dishes. He told Good Morning America in November 2019 that he starts off with a “warm bowl of butternut squash soup.”

Then he moves on to the main course, which usually features turkey. He sometimes fashions the leftover turkey into a salad, which includes roasted peanuts, daikon, and bean sprouts.

As far as sides, he doesn’t generally opt for the staples such as mashed potatoes or mac and cheese. Instead, he reaches for honey roasted parsnips.

Other foods Gordon Ramsay hates

Deep-fried turkey isn’t the only thing you’ll never catch Ramsay eating. He said in the same interview that he dislikes a pretty popular breakfast item.

“I’m not a big fan of grits…they’re very rich, heavy, sometimes a bit greasy,” Ramsay said.

He also said that he’s not a fan of American-style sandwiches, explaining, “You go to a deli and the sandwich is like f*cking 12 feet tall.”

Oh, and he hates airplane food. In a 2017 interview with Refinery29, Ramsay said that “there’s no f*cking way” he’d ever eat that.

Usually, he eats ahead of his flights, often choosing his restaurant, Plane Food, in London’s Heathrow airport. When he’s not in the vicinity of it, he gets a snack from an Italian bar.

“A nice selection of Italian meats, a little glass of red wine, some sliced apples or pears with some parmesan cheese, I’m like a pig in sh*t,” he said.

As for why he hates airplane food? Apparently, it stems from experience.

“I worked for airlines for ten years, so I know where this food’s been and where it goes, and how long it took before it got on board,” he explained.

Fair enough.

So, the point here is that if you ever happen to run into Ramsay, you should never offer him any deep-fried turkey, grits, subs, or airplane food. Got it?