Scare Clare: The Potluck Photo Contest

I was reading one of my favorite kill-time-with-funny blogs, Passive Aggressive Notes, today when I came across this post.

For those not familiar with the blog, readers from all around can submit notes and other examples of passive aggressive (or just aggressive)-ness in action so that everyone can laugh at someone’s petty tyrancy. After the giggles had faded out, I couldn’t stop thinking about this one’s message: “If you can’t cook, don’t try.” I wonder how many people have thought this about someone else’s cooking but were too polite to say it. I also wonder what horrible past potluck experiences has led this poor host to such austerity. Perhaps you could provide some insight to that question, with your most hilariously awful potluck food photos.

So, let’s bring cameras to our gatherings, snap photos of the not-so-delicacies, and scare Clare together! (Presuming that’s the name of this rather unencouraging author of the note.) Please send me a snapshot of a potluck dish (can be your own or someone else’s) and include in your email the Name of the Dish and Why it Was Scary in no more than a couple sentences, please. Send it to me by January 2, 2009 and please type in the subject line of your email Scare Clare. I’ll post a round-up shortly after!

The holiday party season has just begun, and although Thanksgiving’s over, I’ll bet there isn’t a shortage of holiday potlucks being thrown this year — what with the economy in turmoil. Potlucks are a tradition of frugality. What could be more prudent than wanting to entertain, but not wanting to spend hardly a dime of oneself’s? The way I see it, there’s four levels of holiday partying, from least to most spendthrifty:

1. Renting out a room or entire restaurant
2. Having your house party catered
3. Preparing an elaborate five-course meal for guests at home
4. Having a potluck

It’s time to say bring the chips, please. Pick up a bag of ice along the way if you could. BYOB is practically a given, unless you don’t want to partake in what shreds of merriment this season can still reign in.

I’m just exaggerating, of course. But I do love potlucks. Oh, and unlike the Thanksgiving potluck in the passive aggressive note, store-bought items are NOT welcome in this photo contest. Thank you for being halfway competent. (Get it? Passive aggressive?)