I don’t know about you, but I love me a good potluck!
I’m sure potlucks are popular everywhere in the U.S but it seems like church groups and Southerners make them legendary. Oh, and southern churches? Those folks have the granddaddies of all potlucks.
Is it just me or are there a myriad of social rules that surround potlucks? Some are stated and pretty obvious, like “bring your own server spoon” or “label your dishes if you want them back.”
I’m often intrigued by how potlucks are organized. When I was a kid, I vaguely remember it being decided by your family’s last initial. Like A-F brought a main dish, G-M brought a side dish, and so on.
My maiden name is Brunk so we obviously were assigned in the “B” category. What if someone who had the last name Gordon wanted to bring a main dish that and what if my family wanted to bring Grammy’s green bean casserole? Would the social structure of the potluck utterly break down if someone went outside their assignment?
This conundrum is why I love creative potluck themes (or not having a theme at all). Why not bring your favorite childhood dish? Or perhaps simply bring something you know you can eat (which is becoming increasingly important with the various food sensitivities out there)?
What does your tribe do about people who don’t bring food to the potluck? At a place I worked for many years, we had the issue of some people always brought several dishes and then some never brought anything. As in, they didn’t even bother to grab a 2-liter of pop. The manager finally made the rule that if you don’t contribute, you don’t eat. I thought it was fair but having to police that sucked the fun out.
Do you ever worry about what to bring to a potluck? There always seems to be this pressure at Southern potlucks to bring something made from scratch. Only the single people got a pass on bringing that bucket of chicken or *gasp* store-bought rolls. Why is this a thing?
First of all, when I was single I was not a half-bad cook so I enjoyed bringing homemade dishes. But what if you’re that busy mom who doesn’t have the time or energy to whip up magic in the kitchen? Bring the chicken…I can promise you that many people will be grateful for a food they recognize.
Oh, and did your church have that one lady who brought a famous dish that no one dared try to replicate by bringing what would most assuredly be a subpar version? I used to think people were just being weird but as an adult, I realize it’s fear. Fear of not measuring up. Fear of shaking the potluck matrix and it might appear that they were trying to unseat the macaroni casserole queen from her throne.
I have to confess that I have two dishes that I started taking to potlucks and they’ve become pretty popular. In fact, they are often requested.
Link to Jamie’s trifle recipe: http://jamiesthots.com/2013/05/16/home-tip-fruit-and-yogurt-trifle/
My mom’s yogurt trifle is a fantastically easy summer dessert. All it has is fruit, yogurt, angel food cake and Cool Whip. I didn’t realize how prideful I had become about this dessert until my husband asked me to make it last year for his company’s Thanksgiving or Christmas potluck. What?!?? You can’t make that in the winter. It just isn’t done.
I did end up making the trifle but sent it with strict instructions that my husband was to explain to each co-worker that it’s normally a lot better with fresh fruit instead of thawed frozen fruit. Considering the bowl came back almost empty I don’t think anyone cared about the fruit.
The other dish I enjoy making is what I call “Jamie’s Enchiladas.” Basically, they are whatever is on the back of the Old El Paso enchilada sauce can but I use more meat, add sliced black olives and am very strict about using flour tortillas instead of corn. It’s weird to me that so many friends love them but it makes me feel good!
Link to Jamie’s enchilada recipe: http://jamiesthots.com/2014/02/16/jamies-enchiladas/
What are some other rules (spoken or unspoken) that you see at a potluck? What are your favorite potluck dishes? Share your recipes in the comments!
Jamie writes over at Jamie’s Thots where she loves sharing about life, faith, food and her four furkids.
Link to Jamie’s Thots: http://jamiesthots.com/
JAMIE,
I ENJOYED THIS ARTICLE. I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. MY PARENTS WERE BORN AND RAISED IN ARKANSAS.
MY GRANDPARENTS AND AUNTS & UNCLES ON MY DAD’S SIDE OF THE FAMILY ALL RELOCATED TO CALIFORNIA. MY MOM’S SIDE ALL STAYED IN ARKANSAS. I WAS RAISED IN A MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH. AS AN ADULT I NOW BELONG TO A SOUTHERN BAPTIST CHURCH. MY FAMILY WOULD ALL GET TOGETHER OFTEN ABOUT 50 FAMILY MEMBERS. WE HAD GREAT FAMILY POTLUCKS. OUR CHURCH FAMILY ALSO HAD GREAT POTLUCKS. WE ALSO HAD FAMILY POTLUCK /PICNICS. THE BEST POTLUCKS OF ALL WERE THE ANNUAL ARKANSAS/OKLAHOMA PICNICS.
THERE WAS TABLES FULL OF THE BEST SOUTHERN FOOD YOU CAN THINK OF. MY MOM USUALLY MADE POTATO SALAD , BAKED BEANS AND HAM. MY DAD WOULD MAKE A FREEZER OF HOMEMADE ICE CREAM. ALL OF US KIDS WOULD TAKE TURNS CRANKING THE MACHINE. THERE WERE GAMES FOR THE KIDS AND RACES. THEIR WAS ALWAYS LIVE ENTERTAINMENT. I WONDER IF THEY STILL HAVE THESE. WHEN I WAS YOUNG I REMEMBER HEARING ABOUT OTHER STATE PICNICS TOO. I WILL HAVE TO RESEARCH THIS. I ASSUMED THAT THEY MOST LIKELY STARTED DUE TO ALL THE MIGRATION TO CALIFORNIA DURING THE DUST BOWL. IT WAS A WAY FOR PEOPLE FROM THE SAME PLACES TO GET TOGETHER AND TALK ABOUT “HOME”. SORRY I RAMBLED FOR SO LONG. ONE MORE THOUGHT SOUTHERN GOSPEL MUSIC ALSO WAS A BIG PART OF OUR LIFE. MY FAMILY ALWAYS ENJOYED GOING TO GOSPEL CONCERTS . YOU KNOW THE BIG NAMES THE BLACKWOOD BROTHERS, THE STATESMAN, THE IMPERIALS, THE HAPPY GOODMAN’s, THE FLORIDA BOY’s, THE OAKRIDGE BOY’s, THE GAITHER’S AND MANY MORE.
That’s very interesting about the Dust Bowl! I wonder if that is how the state ones started?
JAMIE,
I FORGOT TO PUT IN WHAT I WAS GOING TO SAY TO BEGIN WITH. BEFORE I GOT CARRIED AWAY WITH MY CHILDHOOD MEMORIES. I WAS AT ONE TIME IN CHARGE OF THE CHURCH KITCHEN I MADE A SIGN UP SHEET FOR POTLUCKS AND ASKED WHAT THEY WERE GOING TO BRING AND HOW MANY PEOPLE WOULD BE ATTENDING. THEN I COULD SEE IF WE WERE GOING TO HAVE MORE DESSERTS THAN MAIN DISHES MYSELF AND OTHER KITCHEN CREW MEMBERS COULD FILL IN THE GAPS. ALSO WE HAD SOME PEOPLE THAT WOULD JUST GIVE ME MONEY TO GET THE STUFF AND MAKE IT ON THEIR BEHALF BECAUSE THEY DID NOT WANT TO COOK. EVERYTHING ALWAYS RAN GREAT. ANOTHER CHURCH I WENT TO WE HAD A SIGN UP LIST FOR EACH ITEM IE: MAIN DISH, SIDE DISH, BEVERAGES ETC. NONE OF THAT DOING IT BY YOUR LAST NAME. WE ALWAYS ENDED UP PRETTY EVEN THAT WAY. OK I AM RAMBLING AGAIN.
THANK-YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
I love the idea of signup sheets if the group isn’t too big!
The church I am a member of does a pretty good job of managing potlucks. The head of the food committee comes up with a theme for each meal. For November, it is Thanksgiving, December I make roast beef (I call it roast beast cuz it kinda rhymes), October is Oktoberfest/Reformation Day with German food, May is usually Mexican for Cinco de Mayo, etc. Then the head of the food committee writes up a sign-up sheet with main dish, side dish, salad, dessert. About a quarter of the congregation has special dietary considerations, from very low carb to food allergy to gluten-free to organic preferred to no red meat. I am now generally making a main dish that is low-carb & allergy friendly because my family has food allergies & a member on a very low carb diet, so we know something will work for us. (John has lost over 30 pounds in the last 2 months or so, so low-carb, high fat, high protein is really working for him.)
Thanks for your good ideas:)
I should start bringing items that I can eat. I love the taste of the trifle that people like but I can’t eat it because of the sugar and milk.
Always bring something you want to eat – depending on the crowd, it may be the only thing on the table you put on your plate. 🙂 Haha!
This is very true! When we attend potlucks way south there is a lot of sea food and I can’t stand it. I need chicken or beef 🙂
Growing up in small congregations ours were informal bring what you want affairs. My mom always likes to tell the story of when everyone brought deviled eggs. Whoops.