Everyone has their favorite Thanksgiving food, but the New York Times wanted to find out what was the most "distinct" dish searched for on the Internet by each state.
With the help of Google researchers, the Times analyzed Internet searches to find "how much more popular searches for [a dish] were in a given a state than in the rest of the country during the week of Thanksgiving over the past 10 years." The results were relative to population size.
As it turns out, here in Michigan, cheesy potatoes is 9 times more commonly Googled than the rest of the country.
Here's the Times analysis on Michigan:
In 1970, the average American consumed 11 pounds of cheese a year. That figure is now 33 pounds, no doubt helped by Michiganders on Thanksgiving. With two cheese-heavy dishes in its top three distinct searches, the state beat even Wisconsin — America’s dairyland — in its references to cheese. (Wisconsin managed only “beer cheese dip.”)
Rounding out Michigan's top five? Pretzel jello, "cheese balls," seven layer salad, and potato pancakes.
