Three African American Soldiers Courtesy of National Archives
If you can relate, here are my simple and proven tips to avoid the anxiety of “bringing a dish” for the rest of time:
- Wait until everyone else has said what they’ll be bringing. Have you ever been to a potluck where there wasn’t enough food? No. There’s always MORE than enough! Waiting allows you to look at the list and say “It looks like we have plenty
of food, I will bring a couple bottles of red
and white wine,” or supplies for Mimosa’s
or Bloody Mary’s - you catch the drift,
whatever is most appropriate for the
occasion. THIS is usually my go-to, and let
me tell you, people dig it. Why? In reality,
the booze is often the most expensive. If
other people have the time to experiment
with a new dish and they get to spend less
money, they’re usually perfectly happy to
let you volunteer the libations.
- Offer to host. The work that goes into
prepping the house, doing a little bit of
waiting on people to make sure everyone’s
comfortable and has what they need and
then the clean up afterward is a lot of work
many people dread. Most people recognize
this and they gladly volunteer to bring
whatever is needed in terms of food. If
you’re like me and really thrive off of the
social aspect, having a house full of people,
music and laughter is a pure joy - the work
doesn’t feel like a chore!
Remember, social gatherings are just as
much about feeding the soul as they are
about feeding the stomach. So if you can’t
contribute to one, contribute to the other!
Ain’t no shame in this game ;-)