Daniel U. Perez ’06 may not get to eat his favorite, pecan pie, this Thanksgiving.

The expense and the distance of a journey home preclude Perez, who is from near Los Angeles, Calif, from venturing across the country. Instead, he and other students in similar situations must settle for what Harvard and the Square have to offer.

For those students who do choose to remain in Cambridge, the College provides a full traditional Thanksgiving dinner complete with turkey, stuffing and two varieties of cranberry sauce—jellied and real—in the Adams House dining hall.

The turkey dinner rotates annually between Adams, Dunster and Quincy Houses, Alex McNitt, director of marketing and communications for Harvard University Dining Services (HUDS) said.

“That way no one staff has to bear the burden,” she said.

HUDS expects 400-600 diners at Adams for the traditional Thanksgiving fare, according to the House Manager Michael Riordan.

“We try to make the meal as homey as possible, with the aromas of things cooking,” said Rosemary McGahey, HUDS director of residential dining. “We try to make things a bit more elegant or upscale—dinner is served in the dining room, complete with banquet tables and carving stations.”

Dinner is served between noon and 3 p.m. for any students, faculty and staff who choose to attend. There are no inter-house dining restrictions on Thanksgiving day.

The menu boasts Carolina turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, squash, sweet-potato souffle, cranberry sauce, rolls, mulled cider and assorted pies—including pumpkin, of course.

The event is very popular with those students who decide to remain in Cambridge, according to McNitt.

While HUDS lays out fine spread, it is not dramatically more expensive than an average supper, McGahey said.

The food cost of an average HUDS dinner tends to be between $3.25-3.50 per person, she said.

“The turkey dinner is definitely closer to the higher end,” she adds, however.

Several Houses are providing alternatives or additions to the Adams repast.

Lowell House Co-Masters Diana L. Eck and Dorothy A. Austin have volunteered their kitchen to upwards of 35 Lowell House tutors, students and friends who plan to cook a Thanksgiving meal starting on Wednesday night.