Croquet and Picnic, 2012
At our Friday Gathering last night, our upcoming 30th anniversary was mentioned. Actually, it’s not for another six months but, given our slowed pace of mind and body these days, it’s probably time to start thinking about it. We’ve talked vaguely about having a huge potluck picnic and just inviting all our friends – maybe announce it in the paper like people used to do in the old days.
“I’d be careful about the ‘potluck’ part of the announcement,” one of our wiseacre guests said. “With marijuana legal these days, it’s hard to know what might be in that pasta salad Mable’s so famous for.” We all laughed. But… he might have a point.
We have attended (and hosted) a fair number of potluck meals over the last few decades and we’ve never been too concerned about the offerings. But, we have noticed a recent trend toward labeling the ingredients. It’s not unusual to see a recipe card attached to an inviting looking dish or even a slip of paper that says “gluten free” or “peanut butter frosting” in deference to people’s allergies and food restrictions.
All-time Best Selling Cookbook
So… what is the protocol, pot-wise? Is it an unwritten rule these days that the Alice B. Toklas brownies be specifically labeled? Or are we entering a phase where all our offerings should list the ingredients? Probably not a bad idea.
As for the term potluck, who would have thought that its connotation could change so completely? But, actually, the ‘traditional’ meaning we have come to understand – “a gathering where each guest contributes a dish of food, often homemade, to be shared” – is not the original meaning, anyway.
According to etymologists, the word pot-luck appears in the 16th century work of English writer Thomas Nashe and was used to mean “food provided for an unexpected or uninvited guest – the luck of the pot.” The sense “communal meal, where guests bring their own food,” originated in the 1930s during the Depression and was influenced by the word “potlatch.” Who knew? So now will its meaning segue again?
Picnic at the Tokeland Hotel
Which makes me think once more about Tokeland, the town across the bay named for Chief Toke of Chinook and Chehalis lineage. Wouldn’t you think that someone from there would have been first in line to get a cannabis franchise when the law went into effect? I mean… really! Someone was missing the best (and easiest) marketing ploy ever. And imagine what that would have done for potlucks in Tokeland. The mind boggles.
A potluck in Tokeland may be what we need since we are falling down the rabbit hole at a rapid pace. Count us in!