Potluck or Pitch-In

Hello, you have A Way with Words.

Hi, Grant Martha. This is Amber, and I’m calling from San Diego.

Hiya.

Hello, Amber. What’s going on?

Well, I was recently invited to a potluck, which I’ve been invited to potlucks my entire life. I grew up going to church every Sunday, and every Sunday after church, we’d always have a big potluck dinner, which I loved as a kid, and I still love potlucks. But I’m very curious about where the word potluck came from. It was the first time that I sat back and thought, what does that word mean? And why did it ever, I mean, I’m hoping that it’s not just a simple, you eat from this pot and you’re lucky if it tastes good. I don’t know. But I’m curious about where that word is.

Martha, quick, think of a lie.

Again?

Well, Amber, first of all, let me ask you about your potlucks because you are bringing back some fabulous memories for me. Now, when I went to church growing up, we called it dinner on the grounds.

Oh, how funny.

Yeah. We called it dinner on the grounds. And if our dinners on the grounds were like your potlucks, then it meant, you know, all the little church ladies would bring all this food and Tupperware and bowls with saran wrap. And they put all the meats one place and all the vegetables one place and all the salads one place.

Yes, and there’s the creepy like ambrosia salad with like the fruit and marshmallows.

Yes. And there wasn’t just one. There were like five or six of them.

Right, and Jell-O, the weird Jell-O thing with the whipped cream and weird fruit in it.

Yeah.

Exactly. No, it was not picnic. What did you say? Picnic on the ground?

Well, we called it dinner on the ground.

Dinner on the ground.

No, this was a potluck.

Okay. But it’s the same idea, right?

Same exact idea.

Right, right. I’ve also seen it called a covered dish supper.

Oh, no, I haven’t heard that one. And you have a book on food, words and food, right?

I do, yes. So did you cover this word?

I believe I did, and I’m afraid that potluck is pretty simple. It’s pretty much. That’s why she was distracting you with all the talk of food.

Well, that’s right. But honestly, Amber took me back to the, you know, and you sit on folding chairs on the church grounds and fried chicken and pecan pie like you have never.

Oh, and some of the best casseroles ever.

Ever?

Yes.

Yes. I mean, the rest of the time you hate casseroles, but at a potluck. But that’s when you first discover that other people’s cooking can be as good as your mom.

Right, right. Or sometimes better.

Sometimes better, but you don’t tell her.

Exactly.

Exactly. But, Amber, your instincts are right on there, I’m afraid. It’s whatever you’re lucky enough to find in the pot.

Oh, that’s so funny. Well, you know, I like that English sometimes is transparent, because so often when we answer these calls about the origin of words, it’s like, I don’t know, I’ve got no idea.

Right. And we could spend weeks or months or even years on this and still have no idea. But finally, we give somebody an answer, and they’re like, oh, that’s kind of unspectacular. It’s so simple that it’s, right, I’m kind of feeling stupid that I called in.

No. You what? You know what? You brought back memories for Martha. Her childhood was such a long time ago. She needs refreshing.

Hey, hey, hey, hey. Simmer down now, Grant.

There you go. Tell him, Amber.

Yeah, the fact is my childhood was so wonderful. I’m glad to hear that there’s other words for it because I think I prefer dinner on the ground. I like that.

Do you?

Or a pigeon.

That’s cute, too.

A pigeon.

Yeah, yeah. Well, Amber, thank you so much for calling it. And I hope you have good luck at your potlucks.

Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you. Enjoy your show.

Bye-bye.

All right, bye-bye.

Thank you. You know, the danger, Grant, is in going to small potlucks because if you don’t coordinate those, you get seven Tupperware containers of three bean salad and four bags of Doritos.

Yeah. And also there’s always that one participant or that one family that just brings the KFC instead of making something. The KFC is good, but, you know, I’d rather somebody’s casserole or mac and cheese or homemade fried chicken or their apple pie or the cobbler, the peach cobbler with the flaky crust on top and the gooey crust on the bottom. And the cinnamon and sugar in between.

Stop, Grant, stop. Fresh peaches right out of the feet.

No, yeah, you know, there’s a famous book that I like to quote or talk about anyway. That’s William Leastheat Moon’s book, Blue Highways, and just a really great book. He talks about being on the road, traveling, and always knowing that the fish fry or whatever dinner was happening at the church was the place to go, and that’s kind of what you’re talking about. You’re talking about that feeling of community and feeling of food and feeling like you can eat as much as you want and there’s still going to be more.

That’s right.

Yeah, welcoming a stranger.

Welcome a stranger.

Great stuff.

Good eating.

Yeah, well, send us your food stories and your food questions to words@waywordradio.org. And you can call us at 1-877-929-WORD. That’s 1-877-WAYWORD.