Member’s Potluck & Barbecue
Friday, 15 February 2013

Maybe I will now proof some lack of urbaneness, but when my wife told me that the MGS is organizing a potluck for all MGS members I just had quite a huge question mark shimmering above my head. As I had no intention to take part on something without knowing what it is or even worse to die stupid, I immediately made some inquiries what a potluck is meant to be.

The definition and the history of the term potluck is quite interesting. It starts in the early 16th century in England with the main meaning of “food provided for an unexpected or uninvited guest, the luck of the pot”. That made me quite curious as I knew we are invited and therefore we also should be expected (at least hopefully), so I continued my digging. Then I found some hinds in the Irish corner. Here, a potluck was a meal with no particular menu and the term was used when Irish women would gather together and cook a dinner. For that dinner they just used one pot and cooked a meal together with whatever ingredients they had on that day. Uh! That sounds queer and suspiciously like some kind of soup. Firstly, any kind of soup is not really my favorite; secondly I had many people in mind which may just bring what was left in the lower left corner of their fridge – just in the secure knowledge that nobody will be able to recognize how old the stuff in that big pot of soup really is and from whom it is. My curiosity on that happening was diminishing gradually, even the social aspects looked not so promising any more. Nevertheless I kept on reading, now expecting the worst. But than in the summary of a well-known internet encyclopedia was a sentence which brought relief: “Potluck dinners are events where the attendees bring a dish to share”. So finally I understood. We have already “potlucked” on several events during my whole life and I always enjoyed the food selection but especially the socializing and fun on such events – and as I know now – the MGS Potluck is no exception.

When we arrived at the MGS I saw that everything, as usual on MGS events, was well organized. There were benches, BBQ grills and of course enough cold drinks to have a nice evening. Just some food was missing, but that changed quite fast when, family by family, all guests arrived and brought all different sorts of food. There were many sorts of salads, satay, Malaysian specialties, “Laugensemmeln” and so on. The only thing I was not able to see, was a pot to throw in all your old vegetables to make a kind of a soup – so finally there is some room for improvements for the next potluck.

As usual the men gathered around the BBQ grill (of course not without getting a cool Tiger first to prevent the body from dehydration during their hard work) to show their expertise in grilling the perfect sausage or steak, sharing some old stories about former MGS potlucks or just jokes. Some for children’s ears, some not. Women exchanged the newest gossip and the kids started to dart all over the place, playing hide and seek, tag and other funny stuff.

Later the families where sitting together, enjoying the excellent food and the lively talks about all sorts of topics. What I really enjoyed was that the groups were not fixed. People moved around, joined other tables or formed spontaneous standing sessions. The whole event stood under the impression of a very good mood, laughing and enjoyment. Even a drumming and singing performance were done by some participants later in the evening. For sure one highlight for the children was the Mehndi drawing, where some very nice and artful Mehndi tattoos were painted on the hands and feet of our kids.

As the evening was very funny and enjoyable the time just flew by and suddenly it was near midnight and the last families with some very tired but happy kids left the Potluck. I don’t know how long the small rest celebrated, but I am sure that later they fell as tired and happy in their beds as we did. Thanks to the MGS team for the perfect preparation and to all participants for their contribution to get such a nice and varied potluck buffet. It was an extremely enjoyable evening.

Daniel Cohn