Vegetarian Pot Luck

So a few months ago a friend of mine, Matt Meroni, decided that every Monday night he would hold a vegetarian pot-luck at his house. The goal was really not to promote vegetarianism, but it was a way for Matt to eat as much food as possible with a minimal amount of cooking effort. It really did work. I always end up bringing some sort of lentil soup concoction that I throw together without a plan much less a recipe. The idea of making it vegetarian was probably just for health reasons; no one needs to eat 10 dishes of meat haha. It's been going on steadily for about two months now and I think only a handful of people (besides Matt and his house mates) have attended every single one. It's a good vibe though, no one feels the obligation to attend but enough people always show up to make it a party. It's always nice once the food has all been cleared off plates and platers and someone shows up at the door with a bunch of brownies for dessert. The tradition of the potluck, as far as I know, has been around for centuries. It cultural popularity was best known among the Native Americans and it is a tradition that I don't think anyone has a problem with. It's quite prevalent in American society and is practiced by churches, neighborhoods, companies alike. The great thing about potlucks in my personal opinion is that you get such a variety of food with as little effort from everyone involved. They make for a well balanced meal and it's always a party for everyone involved. The only downside is the clean up afterwards. I don't think Matt realizes that it probably takes more of an effort for him to clean up all the dishes than it would for him to cook for himself; nothing beats good company though.

If you want to know more amount potlucks and their cultural significance, check out this article:

Keates, Nancy. "Guess Who's Bringing Dinner?" Wall Street Journal - Eastern Edition. August 24, 2001, Vol. 238 Issue 39.