What is a Potluck?

It isĀ a meal or party to which each of the guests contributes a dish.

Now here are some rules you need to know for a potluck…

1. Bring a dish. Bring a dish. Bring a dish…The definitionĀ of a potluck is “a meal or party to which each of the guests contributes a dish,” not a meal or party to which bringing a dish is optional. The latter is called a dinner party. Offering to bring a dish or a bottle of wine to a dinner party is polite, and you should always do that, too. At a potluck, bringing a dish is not polite. It is a requirement.

There are no exceptions to this rule AT ALL.

2. When the very nice and generous hosts walk around the party asking for help, you offer to help. If they ask you to grill chicken but you don’t want to smell like smoke all day, you grill chicken anyway. If they ask you to cook burgers but you are a vegetarian, you smile and cook burgers anyway, or you find someone else at the party willing to cook burgers for you. You do not simply say you are a vegetarian and turn away. Hello? It’s my party!

3. When the food begins to slowly trickle over from the kitchen to the buffet tables, you do not jump up to be the first in line, nor do you simply stand in the line, Ā while volunteers spend 30 minutes trying to finish cooking and getting food on the table. You offer to help.