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Home Grown: get your priorities straight |
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Written by By Julie Brown - View Profile
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Sunday, 23 December 2007 |
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 The genius of the potluck.
Good food. That’s probably my single most favorite aspect of the holidays.
The turkeys and candied yams of delicious holiday dinners, the Christmas cookies with red and green frosting, the traditional creme brulee my sister makes every year, and of course, the Christmas roast — they all make my stomach rumble.
But beyond the holiday feasts, there’s another seasonal festivity that satisfies the gastronomical craving — potlucks.
It’s a genius concept, really. A nice home-cooked meal to take the place of the usual mac’ and cheese, pizza, cereal or whatever combination of veggies I have in my fridge mixed with pasta or rice, tomato or soy sauce — alternated daily.
Of course the best part is that you don’t have to cook everything yourself (which, considering my culinary skills, is probably better news for my guests than for me).
Someone brings an appetizer, another brings a salad, usually the host cooks up an entree and a couple guests bring the side dishes.
And then there’s the desert, which is my favorite dish to bring. But the last time I cooked up something sweet, I didn’t bake the fudge brownies long enough, which turned them into fudge brownie-mix (just as good).
You know those annoying grocery-store commercials about food bringing people together? Well I usually roll my eyes when the 30-second clip comes into the advertising rotation, but now that I’m talking about it, it’s actually a true story.
Crowds gathering in kitchens is on par with the law of gravity. I’ve always noticed that parties tend to congregate around the counters and cabinets rather than the couches and coffee tables.
So potlucks just take that concept and solidify it. It just works.
Throw a game in there, like Apples to Apples (if you haven’t played this one, you should) and the potluck is complete.
A guitar or two adds in some bonus points. And if you’re the host, the benefits don’t stop at the party. Default gives you the leftovers.
So easy, so fun. And that’s the nature of the potluck.
— Julie Brown was born and raised in Lake Tahoe. She is a reporter for the Sierra Sun and the Tahoe World.
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 23 December 2007 )
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