Potluck season is rapidly approaching, and frankly, I dread it. I usually end up attending at least three potlucks a year in November and December. Not only do you have the pressure to bring the right dish, but there is also my general skepticism regarding most people's food handling qualifications and overall kitchen hygiene standards. (Every time I watch one of those Hoarders shows, I wonder which dish that person brought to the last office potluck.)
There are other rules of potluck etiquette as well, for both the host and the guests. This Bon Appetit article is both reasonable and accurate, and it doesn't pull any punches. I particularly like the stipulation that you bring food which can be served on a plate. It seems like every potluck I go to, someone brings a huge pot of their special chili, and people end up trying to eat it on a plate. Huge sloppy mess!
If you do want to bring something that has to be eaten from a bowl, bring some bowls! You can buy a pack of disposable plastic bowls for just a few bucks. Everyone will thank you. Especially the other person who brought a bowl-worthy dish but wasn't as thoughtful as you were.
And this brings us to the final problem with potlucks: the competitive aspect. Who put the most effort into their dish? Whose dish was the worst? Whose dish got eaten entirely, and whose was virtually untouched? Which person received most requests for the recipe? And on the other side, who ate the most? Who ate the least? And who managed to spill food all over their shirt?
If you basically want to phone it in without looking like a total loser, here is my secret recommendation: buy one of those bagged salad mixes with all the trimmings. Before you leave home, open all the packets and toss the whole thing together in your own bowl. If people ask you about it, be honest. But no one will ask you about it. It's a reasonably-decent salad at a potluck: in other words, completely invisible. Perfect!
Image courtesy Flickr/sarahbest
0 comments