Potluck

The act of eating is no longer just to nourish our bodies as it once was for our ancestors. Eating is just as much about socialization as it is about the actual food consumed. This is why I believe the idea of a potluck in the workplace became a popular one.

Of course it would be easier to have a catered meal for employees, but that doesn’t bring a community together quite as much as a potluck. Inviting people to make a dish of their choosing at home and bring it in to share; it creates a sense of community based on diversity. It brings together foods that would otherwise not typically be eaten on the same plate. Additionally, it makes the meal more of a social experience. Now, not only can colleagues talk about their week, they can share and delight in their favorite foods and recipes.

This summer I worked as one of three nurses at a Jewish summer camp. Most of the day was spent in my office with the other nurses caring for sick or injured campers. We didn’t have time for a proper lunch break, so we often just ate as much of our packed lunch as we could while taking breaks between bites to bandage children.

However, during the two potluck we had over the eight weeks of camp, all of the seventeen people that worked in the main office gathered together in the conference room and made heaping plates of food while talking about what we each had brought. I was introduced to vegetarian and kosher meals that I would otherwise never have tried.

I personally brought in a couscous meal that my husband and I have been eating for the past year. It’s a simple dish with Israeli couscous, bell peppers, tomatoes, feta, red onion, olives, and green beans drizzled with balsamic vinaigrette. We prefer to eat this meal cold, and I am happy to say that it was a big hit for all that tried it!