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Edited on Wed Dec-09-09 11:13 AM by SoCalDem
A little history, first.
Every year at Christmastime, my bowling leagues have two "fun nights".. The bowling still counts, but we have a potluck one week, and then a gift-raffle the next week, and then we take off 2 weeks for the actual holiday..
December is usually a fun month for us all.
These are two long-standing leagues (19 years), and consist of teams of five each.. these people know each other.. we have had marriages on the league..many of them..and even a wedding for two kids that met as grade-schoolers in the playroom.
We go to each others' weddings, parties, and attend funerals for lost loved ones.
WE know each other..and know each other well.
Our potlucks are easy as pie.. each team brings a complete meal-for-5, and all the food is put out buffet style.. We've been doing this FOREVER, and no one ever goes home hungry.
the food runs the gamut from a pizza picked up an the way to the lanes, to handmade tamales to authentic Thai food, to home-made ravioli, to my very own trademarked tri-tip.
Now we flashforward to last night.. The FOUR banquet tables we always use, were very slim-pickins..
As I walked around I saw FIVE teams who had decided to have their own "secret food"..just for their own team..
Not being a shy person, I asked them why they were not adding the food to the others on the buffet tables.. their answers surprised me:
team A :. "We brought guests & did not want to have people wonder why non-bowlers were eating".. That's a fair assumption, except for the fact that it happens every year, and their guests are known to us all, and people who bring guests, just make more food..
team B:.. " We're afraid that all the "good stuff" will be gone before we get to the table, because we're too far from the table"..an odd response, since there is always food begging to be taken home at the end of the night, and we never have "rules" about when you can go thru the line..
team C..."We made this from scratch, and we don't want someone who brought a pizza to load up on OUR enchiladas"... this was really a flooring response, especially from that team.. these people are the most generous, kindest sweetest people you would ever want to meet.
team D..."Last year someone took home my serving spoon".. This one cracked me up & I said..feel free to take one from the ziploc bag FULL of extra serving utensils I bring every year..
team E.."We brought steak"..... um--okay-then
Our potluck for the other league is tonight, so maybe it will be fine, but I was truly amazed at how the mindset changed from one year to the next..how people would suddenly become food-hoarders..sharing only with their "buddies"..
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