> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.tawnymagazine.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Potlucks Are My Personal Hell - URL: https://www.tawnymagazine.com/potlucks-are-my-personal-hell/ - Published: 2026-10-15T19:18:25.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-15T19:18:25.000Z - Description: The holidays are coming up, and with that...potlucks. From the ambiguous hygiene to the potential food-poisoning, here's my case for leaving potlucks in the past. - Author: Natalie Hoage - Tags: Food & Drink, All Lifestyle, Hot Take With the holidays right around the corner, potlucks are, too. Growing up in a huge family, we always served potluck-style meals when everyone got together. My mom has eight siblings, I have more than 40 cousins, and when we were all in one place, it was total chaos. I loved those dinners, but that’s changed as I’ve gotten older. When we moved from California to the Midwest, I learned that potlucks were also called pitch-ins, carry-ins, and covered-dish meals. That last one threw me for a loop, but whatever you call them, the idea is the same: everybody brings something to share. Whether it’s a big party, work lunch, or a holiday celebration, people love them some potlucks. And they're apparently a lot more trusting than I am. --- ## Do You Know Who Made That? I’m not normally a judgey person, but when it comes to eating food made by others, I can be a really judgey bitch. If I’ve been to your home and spotted a dirty kitchen, I’m not touching your casserole. Oh? You let your cats walk on your countertops? *Absofrickinglutely not*. If you’ve told me you sometimes leave food out overnight and then stick it back in the fridge to eat later, how do I know you didn’t do that with that hot dish you brought to my house? Then there’s potluck etiquette. Bring your food in a crockpot or your favorite casserole pan. Cool. But please take it home and wash it yourself. Why am I elbow-deep in your cheesy potatoes while everybody else is still having fun? Disposable pans exist, people. --- ## I'm Not The Only Anti-Potlucker Out There I asked my Facebook friends if I was the only one who felt this way. Turns out, there are plenty of potluck haters, and some have stories that make my concerns seem pretty reasonable. > “I’ve had food poisoning twice in my life. Once from frozen fruit that I later learned was recalled. The other time was at a back-to-school teacher potluck.” Another friend shared this family dinner nightmare. > “Years ago, my aunt had the family over for a holiday dinner. She had a couple of cats. One climbed onto the counter and ate part of the middle of a dish. She discovered it, made it get down, and then covered the spot back up and served it.” Covered. The. Spot. Back. Up. And just when I thought sticking to something simple might be the answer, somebody shared this: > “Thought a peanut butter sandwich would be safe at a church potluck. Cut it in half for my daughter, and there was as much cat hair as peanut butter. That was 30+ years ago. Still haunts me.” Now it gets to haunt me, too. Listen, I understand why people love 'em. Everybody brings something so nobody has to cook an entire meal. There's lots of variety, and you might discover your new favorite recipe. I used to love all of that. But now that I'm older and wiser, I need to know who made what before anything lands on my plate. If I know what your kitchen looks like, I might eat it...or I might not because I know what your kitchen looks like. If I don’t know you, that's an automatic nope to your homemade dish. I’ll be over by that store-bought seven-layer dip Susan brought…unless I see someone double-dipping. **But that’s a whole different story.**