TOTAL READ TIME: 4 Minutes
I’ve been invited to just TWO potlucks in the past five years. Will someone please invite me to theirs?
A common theme where I live is “I’m hosting a party, come one over. But don’t bring anything.”
Please don’t rob me of the joy of contributing. I’ve grown a collection of salivating recipes, just like you. Let’s share. There’s my German chocolate cake with broiled coconut frosting, a show-stopper from my random Midwest church cookbook. Or maybe I’ll bring my Quinoa-Tex-Mex Salad, a healthier party favorite from my Minnesota friend Jean. If I’m in the mood, I’ll create my crudité platter. If it’s the right time of day, I’ll bring a platter of scones. Have you eaten my scones? I love baking scones for you.
The potluck is the way to go because the food tastes better. It tastes better because everyone brings their best. The conversation is better, because there is a story to every dish. There’s more love in the air, because social fabric is woven.
The word “potluck” should be the top result on our Google search for:
- How to build friendship
- How to host an easy party
- How to solve the mental health crisis
The last bullet above is the most important. Potlucks are an integral part of the social fabric of community living. Everyone, grab a plate. You are welcome here.
Growing up in rural America, I have been to more potlucks than I can remember. At the time I hated them because I was shy, awkward and a general misfit. We had potlucks after church. We had them at the fire hall. At the legion hall. We had them at school events. We had them for fundraisers. We would have them at the park. Potlucks – everywhere.
Little did I know, that the potluck kept our community heart strong. It held the door open to all, and it gave people an excuse to gather together. Was everyone friends? No, not at all. But everyone, and I mean everyone, came together for meal time. Potlucks are written in the unspoken rules for building community.
The potluck from my childhood had four sections:
- Relish Trays: Relish trays included home-grown and canned pickle relish, pickled beets, pickles and olives – always served on crystal relish trays.
- Salads: No, there isn’t much lettuce here. Salads in the 1980s-1990s were typically a concoction of canned fruit, cool whip and perhaps cut up snickers or fudge striped cookies. Oh – and don’t forget the mini-marshmallows.
- Hotdishes: Not to be confused with casseroles (yes, they are the same thing… only we preferred the name hotdish.) The farm wives NAILED the hotdish section. Imagine macaroni noodles, beef and sauce. It could be a Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom sauce, a tomato marinara type, or a cheese variety. You’ll always find one that you’ll love.
- Dessert: Finally, the dessert section; always the biggest section. One hundred percent of the time you will find rice crispy treats with chocolate-peanut butter frosting. I’ve kept track.
When was the last potluck you’ve experienced? What did you make? What was the tastiest dish that you ate? What was the most memorable part of the conversation? I bet you remember. I certainly do.
Are you feeling a little blue? Host a potluck. Are you feeling post-election tension in your community? Host a potluck. Are you stressed? Host a potluck. Finally, do you feel the need to celebrate? You know what to do!
Lorna Howarth
I hope you can share this piece widely – your local newspaper or a community website…? It deserves to be read by many – it is wonderfully uplifting and really does explain why a ‘potluck’ is the best party. We don’t have such a great word here in the UK, we just call them ‘Bring & Share’ but you are absolutely right – just the act of cooking for others and sharing the food brings with it deeper stories and connections. This is a lovely piece Kathy. I really enjoyed reading it.