"Isn't it terrible?" Naomi gasped, leaning close to my ear.
"Isn't what terrible?" I looked quickly around the church basement. It was humming with preparation for the after-church potluck.
"I think potlucks should be banned!" she replied firmly as she headed toward the food table.
"Not have potlucks?" I wondered. "They are such a time of fellowship and sharing." I remembered the many times during family vacations when we eagerly anticipated being invited to a potluck following our visit to a new church. Camping food can wear a bit thin about the fifth day.
Not have potlucks? Surely Jeff, a recently baptized bachelor, has learned much about vegetarian cooking by at tending our potlucks.
And there is Mrs. Townsend. She lives alone now and rejoices in the opportunity to prepare some favorite recipes that remind her of cooking for her family.
Charlie enjoys our potlucks, too. It could be the only decent meal he gets all week.- He always brings a carton of cottage cheese and a bag of corn chips, but thoroughly enjoys the delicious spread of Adventist cooking.
I can always tell whether or not Tammy's on a diet. If she brings marble cake, she's off her diet; cauliflower and carrots mean she's back on.
Maryann always brings a loaf of homemade whole-wheat bread that dis appears like magic.
"Nine desserts today!" Naomi was back. "I counted them—nine!"
"Really?" I commented, quickly adding families. I came up with twenty-eight family units and four guest families, so only about one third of those providing food brought dessert. On the other hand, I counted eighteen salads, thirteen vegetable dishes, and six loaves of homemade bread. It seemed like a good ratio to me.
The pastor called for the blessing, and then came the standing in line. Because I am a nutritionist, often suspected of spying on what people eat, I make a concerted effort to ignore the foods people choose. Today I broke the rule and studied the full plates that passed.
The preacher's 9-year-old passed with a small mountain of macaroni and cheese, six olives, and two cupcakes. Then came his mother to modify that! Jack, the Sabbath school superintendent, came by with a healthful-looking plate, well balanced among entree, vegetable, salad, bread, and one small dessert. He stands more than six feet tall, has shoulders that are like a football star's, and needs twice as much food as I (lucky fellow!).
Katherine glanced my way as she heaped her plate with raw vegetables and salad. She has struggled with her weight for the past ten years and has often sought my counsel. She added a small serving of a gooey whipped-cream-marshmallow gelatin salad and a slice of homemade whole-wheat bread, lightly spread with Glen's homegrown honey. "Good work, Katherine," I said to my self. "If you hold it down to one small dessert and nothing but carrot sticks for seconds, you succeeded today."
Naomi had four entrees, three of the richest salads drowning in dressing, two slices of bread heavily spread with both margarine and honey, one vegetable camouflaged with a rich cream sauce and topped with Chinese noodles, a tower of chips, and three small desserts. If she is true to form, she will nibble her way through the cleanup time continually chattering about "starting my diet first thing Monday morning."
"Hey, Mom, where's my plate?" said Joel as he rushed to get in line with me.
"Here," I answered, handing out utensils. "And remember the rules."
"Yeah," he sighed. "Easy on the en trees, a bunch of vegetables and salads, and one dessert. But, Mom, if there are two desserts I really like, could I have two half servings?"
"Sure," I smiled.
"I want you to try my pumpkin pie," Sue said, coming my way.
"I'll be glad to. Is it a new recipe?"
"No, I just tried your suggestion of going easy on the sugar this time. I can hardly tell the difference."
"Great," I responded.
Because I was near the end of the line, I went slowly along the table. First I checked to assure it was typical of the hundreds of Adventist potlucks I have attended across the nation. It was. Could I find low-calorie foods? Could I find a balanced meal? What about low-fat foods or foods a diabetic could choose? A quick evaluation divided the foods about into three types—rich dishes with such things as sauces, cheese, margarine, creams, and sugar added to the food; plain foods with moderate amounts of these additions; and plain food such as beans and onions, fresh relishes, salads with dressing on the side, whole-grain breads, frozen corn, and several fruit desserts. This unplanned potluck included the variety necessary to serve most needs.
"I just can't resist having a bit more of your rice pudding," said Naomi as we began clearing the table. Perhaps potlucks provide too tempting an array for some people to attend frequently, I mused.
"I just think potlucks are terrible, don't you?" Naomi began again as she licked the whipped-cream spoon. "There are always too many rich foods."
"I think potlucks are delightful," I answered, smiling at Katherine.
It's all a matter of choice
