Religion and politics usually top the list because we’ve all seen the awful effect these can have on family Thanksgivings. Invasive inquiries about age, weight, and personal finances are no-nos, and asking someone if they’re pregnant, especially if they’re not, can be a fast track to social disaster.

Increasingly, though, these days, another addition to the to-be-avoided list is the touchy subject of genetically modified organisms (GMOs)—predominately in the form of bioengineered foods. Impassioned rhetoric between pro-GMO and anti-GMO camps brings to mind the murderously hostile Montagues and Capulets, Campbells and MacDonalds, and Hatfields and McCoys.

So—I might as well be right up front here—I’m pro-GMO. I think the potential positives greatly outweigh the potential negatives. (We’ll come to those. First,