Office "Potluck"...me? NOPE!

[sand_man]

"Bless me father, for I have sinned. It's been a few years since my last confession. Father, there is no gentle way for me to say this: I FUCHKING HATE OFFICE POTLUCK!!!! Father, am I going to hell? Will gawd have mercy on my soul?"

Anyway, I know 'tis the season, but with several product teams co-located in my building, there's an infinite supply of invitations to these damn things! I love the multi-cultural/regional aspects of my company: Chinese, Indian, Korean, Vietnamese, Australian, British, etc. And I love exploring different cuisine with these team members when we go out for lunch. I'm a pretty adventurous foodie. And cooking is a passion of mine; not on a pro level, but I'm a pretty advanced home cook. There's just something about the crap people bring in from their homes! It's never very good and it stinks up all four floors of our building! The last event included (to name a few) tuna noodle casserole, some really strange variation on the tried and true crock-pot classic - frozen Swedish meatballs, home made sauerkraut with a weird tofu sausage (I think that's what it was), and a lasagna with an Indian twist!!!!!! REALLY!?! The smell! WOW! GHASTLY! GROSS!

I don't really enjoy bringing something, either. Trying to throw something together in the morning (or god forbid the night before), then attempting to keep it "good" until ready to serve, is stressful. It's like I know it won't be my best, so I'm not gonna bother with it. Although one time I did setup a station to make omelettes for people (breakfast potluck), and that was a hit, but a lot of work.

I won't even get into the morbid curiosity over home kitchen cleanliness! I shudder to think! I know it's been said that seeing how most restaurant kitchens are kept (seeing the sausage made, as it were) could be a scary experience, but I'll takes my chances.

So in summary co-workers, it's not a coincidence that I happen to be conveniently working from home during your potlucks. Ah jeez, have I finally crossed over...do I have to say it? "GET OFF MY LAWN!"

I need help!

[flipper35]

A lot of times for our "potlucks" we just order out. Everyone likes it better that way.

I do agree there are some peoples food I will not eat when it is a potluck here or especially at church. Our old DoN was the best, she bought meatballs from the Schwann's man and dumped them straight into the rock pot. No fears there. Your pics are downright appetizing compared to some kitchens I have seen.

If you really want to get scared, install flooring in a residential kitchen sometime and be there then the appliances get pulled out.

[recycled sixtie]

It depends on how fussy you are. Some people would be ecstatic to have another person's leftovers. I ask when it was made. If it was made more than two days ago I decline. I just hate food poisoning. I understand where you are coming from...

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

It depends on how fussy you are. Some people would be ecstatic to have another person's leftovers. I ask when it was made. If it was made more than two days ago I decline. I just hate food poisoning. I understand where you are coming from...

So true!! Back when I was married, if we had too much of something leftover, I'd be ready to toss it, and my MIL would say, "just bring it to your office, and put it in the break room, they'll eat it". It never ceased to amaze me, but she was right! EVERY CRUMB!

[recycled sixtie]

No offence to my wife but other peoples' cooking works out generally well. Our Philipine neighbors have us over once in a while and I just love trying dishes that I have never had before. Freshly made is generally better though.

[GH85Carrera]

At a former job we had one co-worker that was our left-overs dog. He would eat anything from the fridge that someone was going to throw out. He was a bit "different" as he is one of the few humans that can breath that was actually fired from the post office. A letter carrier that is fired has to do some major screw ups to get canned. He was a veteran so the PO hired him.

He did meet his match when he ate some week old fried chicken. He was out for a couple of days after that. He still was a human garbage can.

I agree with the OP. If I know the person and they are a good cook with a decent kitchen, yea I will eat it. In a large pot luck, no way.

[wswartzwel]

[ckelly78z]

That middle left hand picture reminded me of a 4th of July potluck I went to. There were cats everywhere in the kitchen, and on the counters, and had to be gently moved away to access the dishes.....Never again.

On top of all that, the idiot husband was pounding beers with some biker freinds of his, and playing heavy metal music so loud, it was distorting....never again, we left early with a stomache ache from the food, and a headache from the "music".

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by flipper35

A lot of times for our "potlucks" we just order out. Everyone likes it better that way.

This is what I suggest, nearly every time. No dice...they'd rather eat each others slop. Is it a chance to show off their kitchen skillz?

[sand_man]

We've also had some chili cook-offs. I love chili. But even that went bad. It seemed that in an effort to be original and/or unique, there were some pretty foul experiments. I'm sounding like a snob, now. Oh well. Sometimes a dish does not need that fantastic final flourish to be good...let it be.

[sand_man]

Even at parties (super bowl for example), I'll play it safe. Cold cuts on bread and some chips. I'll take a rain check on that 20 layer bean dip.

[willtel]

I used to work in apartment complexs when I was younger. On air filter change days we would hit 100 units in a day. Seeing how other people live turned me off pot luck events for life.

[Crowbob]

Originally Posted by recycled sixtie

It depends on how fussy you are. Some people would be ecstatic to have another person's leftovers. I ask when it was made. If it was made more than two days ago I decline. I just hate food poisoning. I understand where you are coming from...

I like food poisoning, especially the three-day variety.

The best part of it is being afraid you're gonna die while being afraid you're not.

[RKDinOKC]

We don't have a pot luck, we have a BBQ were 3 workers run their smokers. one of them's wife makes the tater salad and beans. Haven't done it in years though.

[JavaBrewer]

I now work for a large corporate giant. No pot lucks are allowed. Food gatherings are strictly store bought food and (sadly) no alcohol. I never got sick from home cooked offerings...maybe because all bugs were overwhelmed with booze. Good times.

[Heel n Toe]

I love some good ol' tuna noodle once in awhile, but IMO, it's a crime to make a casserole out of it.

[unclebilly]

Our local traffic and weather girl's holiday artichoke dip potluck... live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQAauVu2sTg&sns=em

Video of Leslie Horton’s horrendous holiday artichoke dip goes viral
Video of Leslie Horton’s horrendous holiday artichoke dip goes viral | Globalnews.ca

[jcommin]

Originally Posted by JavaBrewer

I now work for a large corporate giant. No pot lucks are allowed. Food gatherings are strictly store bought food and (sadly) no alcohol. I never got sick from home cooked offerings...maybe because all bugs were overwhelmed with booze. Good times.

My company does this too. Too many people complained about the cleanliness of the food prep.

Not to hijack this thread, but many elementary schools ban home made baked goods for bake sales. Everything must be store bought and wrapped.

[sand_man]

Originally Posted by unclebilly

Our local traffic and weather girl's holiday artichoke dip potluck... live.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQAauVu2sTg&sns=em

Video of Leslie Horton’s horrendous holiday artichoke dip goes viral
Video of Leslie Horton’s horrendous holiday artichoke dip goes viral | Globalnews.ca

LOL! Uh, that's a big"NO!" I would not eat that! If made with my own two hands, yeah, sure, I will eat it. Otherwise, I gotta pass on that sorta thing! I nearly got into a fight with a coworker who just would not accept no for an answer, when I did not want to sample his "sweet dessert" chili! I was polite, but he just would not let it go. I thought I might have to punch him in the face! Not interested in a version like that!!! I refused! It looked and smelled DISGUSTING!

[vash]

i'm not that uptight.

if you distill it down..you really cant trust a pro-kitchen anymore than a home kitchen. i just like hanging with office friends with activities beside hammering out the gidgets.

i'll skip the chicken tartar and picnic potato salads, cuz i'm not an idiot.