Anonymous
Post 05/16/2025 16:34     Subject: Multicultural Potluck- what to bring?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:I would complain about the organizer. We have multicultural night at our school and people bring American family dishes all the time. For people who have recent roots in other countries, American dishes are novelties!

We get chocolate chip cookies all the time!


These cookies are a bad idea because they often contain nuts or are made in facilities which also process nuts.


Most of the food at a multicultural potluck will be made in homes that also "process" nuts. Assuming OP doesn't put nuts in the chocolate chip cookies they won't be any more risky than anyone else's home made food. Someone who avoids "shared equipment" or "may contain" won't be eating home made food at a potluck.
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2025 16:29     Subject: Multicultural Potluck- what to bring?
Anonymous wrote:I would complain about the organizer. We have multicultural night at our school and people bring American family dishes all the time. For people who have recent roots in other countries, American dishes are novelties!

We get chocolate chip cookies all the time!


These cookies are a bad idea because they often contain nuts or are made in facilities which also process nuts.
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2025 14:17     Subject: Multicultural Potluck- what to bring?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:If you don't have another culture, what are you bringing to the school multicultural potluck? Just a regular side dish? I tried to sign up for chocolate chip cookies and the organizers told me it should be a traditional food from my household.

I'm really trying here, but these events come up multiple times a year and there doesn't seem room for people who don't have other cultures. I mean we're mostly British and German but it's been a couple hundred years and we have no ties to any of that food. I don't even feel like we have regional foods from the US that my family regularly eats (they did not want regional US foods though). I sort of felt like chocolate chip cookies were one of my family's specialties. If we don't have one, should we just pick someone else's culture and make a dish?


You bring something that is a traditional food that is incorporated into your family's life. A favorite Christmas cookie you always make, or a recipe that's been handed down from parents or grandparents. We're not strongly connected to another culture, and our families have been in the US for many generations, but MIL has a favorite Italian cookie recipe that was handed down to her, and now we do it for things like this.


PP here. Sorry, I just read your post more carefully, OP. I'd write back to the person who told you no chocolate chip cookies and explain it's a special recipe in your family that you cook for special occasions, so it is a cultural food for you. The organizer who told you not to bring them is a jerk or clueless or both.
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2025 14:14     Subject: Multicultural Potluck- what to bring?
Anonymous wrote:If you don't have another culture, what are you bringing to the school multicultural potluck? Just a regular side dish? I tried to sign up for chocolate chip cookies and the organizers told me it should be a traditional food from my household.

I'm really trying here, but these events come up multiple times a year and there doesn't seem room for people who don't have other cultures. I mean we're mostly British and German but it's been a couple hundred years and we have no ties to any of that food. I don't even feel like we have regional foods from the US that my family regularly eats (they did not want regional US foods though). I sort of felt like chocolate chip cookies were one of my family's specialties. If we don't have one, should we just pick someone else's culture and make a dish?


You bring something that is a traditional food that is incorporated into your family's life. A favorite Christmas cookie you always make, or a recipe that's been handed down from parents or grandparents. We're not strongly connected to another culture, and our families have been in the US for many generations, but MIL has a favorite Italian cookie recipe that was handed down to her, and now we do it for things like this.
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2025 10:45     Subject: Multicultural Potluck- what to bring?
One time we brought pierogies and sausage. (so easy - boil 2-3 boxes of the mini pierogies, slice up some hillshire farms sausage and fry it, mix together with butter in a 9X13 pan. and you're done.

I was planning ot bring sauerkraut to have on the side and I walked into the kitchen to find my DH stirring the sauerkraut into the whole dish. He was surprised I was mad.

It got half eaten.

There's no competing with the giant trays of delicioud food many of the Latinos brought. And I felt like pierogies were "exotic" enough to be something different on the table.
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2025 09:26     Subject: Multicultural Potluck- what to bring?
I would complain about the organizer. We have multicultural night at our school and people bring American family dishes all the time. For people who have recent roots in other countries, American dishes are novelties!

We get chocolate chip cookies all the time!
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2025 05:51     Subject: Multicultural Potluck- what to bring?
Cookies are fine. The worst are people who come and pig out and bring nothing.
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2025 05:43     Subject: Multicultural Potluck- what to bring?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DD's had a multicultural night every year, and for the years we participated, there was always a family who took "Murica" and served hot dogs.


Really sad people like this think they are welcome at such events. So embarrassing.


Why are you racist?
Anonymous
Post 05/16/2025 03:54     Subject: Multicultural Potluck- what to bring?
Anonymous wrote:At my school people brought things from a particular state too...like Boston Baked Beans, Georgia Peaches, TX BBQ. Just bring the choc chip cookies if you want though. Call them European chocolate cookies - old family recipe or some other ethnic sounding thing.


This reminds me if Phoebe’s family recipe for chocolate chip cookies that came from her French great-great-grandmother, Nestlé Toulouse.
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2025 15:47     Subject: Multicultural Potluck- what to bring?
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:DD's had a multicultural night every year, and for the years we participated, there was always a family who took "Murica" and served hot dogs.


Really sad people like this think they are welcome at such events. So embarrassing.


I would think it's really sad for them not to be welcome. Think about what kind of world you actually want to live in, not only talking points. Our school welcomes everyone, and it shows at multicultural night and other events. The multicultural night committee has even ordered pizza, hot dogs, and/or chicken nuggets some years to represent the US culture.
Anonymous
Post 05/12/2025 13:12     Subject: Multicultural Potluck- what to bring?
Anonymous wrote:DD's had a multicultural night every year, and for the years we participated, there was always a family who took "Murica" and served hot dogs.


Really sad people like this think they are welcome at such events. So embarrassing.