Carol Perkins: Potlucks

Last Sunday was a bleak one in CM, with no Carol Perkins story. This one more than makes up for it: A treatise on the potluck history and culture. -Ed

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To read her next previous story click on Grandparents Camp

By Carol Perkins

Potlucks

Men created potlucks. I am sure of it. Most likely Daniel Boone told Becky that he would kill a bear and she could cook it and invite all the neighbors over to eat.

"But Daniel, do you realize how much work that will be for me?"

"Oh, just tell the other women to bring a dish."


That could have been the onset of potlucks.

Dinner on the ground was a popular form of potlucks when I was a child. I knew of churches having all day singings and dinner on the ground. The dinner wasn't on the ground; it was usually on the bed of a wagon with flies swarming around as if they were invited. The dinner wasn't on the ground, but most of the men lay under a tree when they finished eating while the women cleaned up.

Potluck's whole process painful for this ole girl

Few men have a handle on how much trouble a potluck meal is for most women. Notice I said MOST. Some women may enjoy preparing food to take to a potluck but this ole girl isn't one of them. Some women are thrilled when others brag on their specialized dish, but I am not one of them. I find the process painful.

Family reunions usually entail potluck meals. Many people have now turned to "store bought" food, bringing in buckets of KFC and cakes and pies from a local deli. Nothing wrong with that, but those who spend hours over a stove sometimes frown on those who don't. You know that is the truth. "If I can bake a cake the day before, so can she." Cooks are touchy.

Churches are notorious for potlucks

Churches are notorious for potluck meals. This is a social time, I agree, but it is also a burden on some women of the church. They are the ones who make sure the facility is ready, plates and cups and napkins available, and beverages are served. After the meal, the men sometimes help, but most of the cleaning up is left to the women.

When my preacher announced one Sunday that we were having two potlucks a month, I heard a woman say, "Men don't have to cook it." The minister said, "You've got to eat anyway" when the women groaned a little. I replied quietly, "Yes, at the Mexican Restaurant."

The food at church is always good because you know all the ladies and you don't hesitate to eat what is prepared. That is not the case with all potlucks, especially those at school. At one time most banquets were potluck. Many adults were strangers to each other; therefore, they didn't know anything about their ways of cooking food, cleanliness, etc. I would always watch for people I knew and ate only their food.

What caused me to be so careful was when I overheard one student telling another that the brownie mix she used to make her dish for the potluck had weevils in it, but she used it anyway. She was telling the girl not to eat any of them. I wouldn't make that up.

Too much Strange in me

I must have too much of the Strange (my grandmother was a Strange) in me to enjoy potlucks. My grandmother's sister Annie did not like eating in a restaurant and when she did, she took her own silverware. She would never have eaten at a random potluck.

My bashing of potlucks may go totally against your feelings toward them and I am glad that not everyone feels as I do. Guy enjoys most potlucks because he adores food and doesn't have to cook anything for a gathering. So as long as he likes them, I will try to cooperate and have a positive attitude. I will try in the name of fellowship.

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About the author: Carol (Sullivan) Perkins is a lifelong resident of Edmonton, KY, in Metcalfe County where she taught high school English at Metcalfe County High School until her recent retirement. She is a now a freelance writer. is married to Guy Perkins and they have two children: Carla Green (Mark) of Brentwood, TN and Jon Perkins (Beth) of Austin, TX and six grandchildren. Her latest book, Let's Talk About, is a collection of over 70 of her works, and she is presently working on the second book in this series. Carol's ties to Adair County go back to Breeding where her grandfather, Rufus Reece, and her grandmother Bettie Strange, began their married life and later moved to Metcalfe County. You may contact Carol at cperkins@scrtc.com or write at P.O. Box 134 Edmonton. If you would like a copy of her book, you can order through email. Watch for her next story next Sunday.

IF YOU'VE ENJOYED READING CAROL PERKINS' STORIES on ColumbiaMagazine.com, you'll love her book, "Let's Talk About It. . . ." The books are $15 plus $4 for shipping. Send check or cash or money order to Carol Perkins, P.O. Box 134, Edmonton, KY 42129 They can be bought at the Herald Office in Edmonton, KY, or Terri's Fine Jewelry in Glasgow, KY.

This story was posted on 2009-07-19 13:56:43