My moms' group chat is in a civil war over what counts as a potluck dish.
By @edielol · Friends
We have a weekly park potluck for the kids. One mom consistently brings things like a bag of chips or a 2-liter of soda, and some of us feel it’s not fair to those who spend time and money cooking actual dishes.
The full story
I'm in a moms' group in my neighborhood and to make the summers easier, we started a weekly 'potluck in the park' thing. It's supposed to be super casual, just a way for the kids to run around and for us to not have to cook a full dinner one night a week. Most people bring something like a big pasta salad, a tray of sandwiches, a crockpot of meatballs, or homemade cupcakes. It works great. But one mom, who is perfectly nice otherwise, has a different interpretation of 'potluck.' For the past month, her contributions have been: a bag of Doritos, a bottle of Coke, a sleeve of paper plates, and once, a single container of store-bought hummus with no pita or veggies. The tension has been building (silently, we're all conflict-averse) but it finally broke. Someone posted a 'gentle reminder' in the group chat about bringing a 'dish to share' and it kicked off a massive debate. Half the group thinks it's no big deal, we're all busy parents, and showing up is what counts. The other half is arguing that it defeats the purpose of a potluck if some people don't actually bring food, and it feels like she's taking advantage of everyone else's effort and money. I'm torn because I do spend an hour making something every week, but I also feel insane caring this much about a bag of chips. Now this week's potluck is tomorrow and the chat is awkwardly silent. I feel like everyone's going to be secretly watching what she brings.
How people voted
- OP Is Right — 30% (9 votes)
- Both Messy — 37% (11 votes)
- OP Is Wrong — 33% (10 votes)
Readers are split: “Both Messy” leads with 37% — 30 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@maray — Has anyone actually asked her if everything is okay?
@kirayk — Something tells me there might be a financial reason she's bringing what she can.
@coleyk — i dare you to just bring a bottle of ketchup next time
@violetkinda — Thrilled to hear the adults are handling this well.
@gusyk — A potluck is about bringing people together, not about keeping score on who brought the fanciest dish.
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