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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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 Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:23 pm Post subject: |
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My dear Cleo
I am determined to educate you that the Murkan way is the RIGHT way - in EVERYTHING ! |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 6:44 pm Post subject: |
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Next thing you'll be inviting us all around to a 'potluck' party.
It's only in recent years that I have become familiar with the USA-nian practice, whereby you 'invite' people to your home, and then expect them to self-cater.
Bizarre. Where I come from, if you are invited as a guest you can expect to be fed - by your hosts that is. But maybe I is just old-fashioned. |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Wed Jul 30, 2008 8:12 pm Post subject: |
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Well, we are waiting for an official invitation from Uncle Scotty to visit him in his nice villa in Bulgaria. And I hope we will be fed by Uncle Scotty during our visit to Bulgaria.  |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 3:49 am Post subject: |
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Dear Cleopatra,
"It's only in recent years that I have become familiar with the USA-nian practice, whereby you 'invite' people to your home, and then expect them to self-cater."
That's a "USA-nian practice that I'm totally unfamiliar with. But maybe I've just been associating with the wrong (right?) people.
Regards,
John |
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Imdramayu
Joined: 09 Feb 2007
Posts: 394
Location: South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:00 am Post subject: Potlucks rock |
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I grew up on pot-lucks. I find them great fun. It's one of the only ways you can evaluate a lot of people's cooking that you wouldn't try otherwise. If you're really lucky, the cooks would put TLC in their cooking and it really comes out nicely.
For those of you whose minds are wandering to the "spiked tea" thread, NO --- I've never noticed any additional "special" ingredients added to any potluck dishes. The closest I got to that is when I baked breaded lamb *beep* for a workplace potluck two years ago. This was during a in-house PD mini-conference. If anyone asked at the potlcuk, I'd tell them what the meat was. But nobody asked. |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 4:17 am Post subject: |
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| Cleopatra wrote: |
| Bizarre. Where I come from, if you are invited as a guest you can expect to be fed - by your hosts that is. But maybe I is just old-fashioned. |
It's the same here Cleo... if you invited as a guest, you expect to be fed.
On the other hand, married couples - a group that we have never been a part of - seem to have things sometimes called 'pot-lucks' or 'progressive dinners' and it seemed to be common among Brits, Canadians, and Americans in the Gulf. Since nowadays both spouses tend to be working, it does more fairly share out the cooking.
VS |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:07 am Post subject: |
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| It's one of the only ways you can evaluate a lot of people's cooking that you wouldn't try otherwise. |
Don't know about you, but I can honestly say that I have never gone to a social event with the intention to 'evaluate a lot of people's cooking that you wouldn't try otherwise.' Are you an editor for Good Housekeeping or something?
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| Since nowadays both spouses tend to be working, it does more fairly share out the cooking. |
My response would be that if you're so 'busy busy busy' that you can't cook for your guests, don't invite them. Especially as they too may be equally 'busy'. Far better to arrange to meet up in a restaurant, or even invite guests home and order in. Since restaurants - whether eat in or take away - tend to be very good value in Riyadh, I really don't see the point of 'potlucks'. |
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cmp45
Joined: 17 Aug 2004
Posts: 1475
Location: KSA
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:47 am Post subject: |
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It is always funny to me how threads evolve- mutate ...from electrical goods to pot luck suppers...where it will end is anybody's guess 
...as far as not understanding the concept of potlucks...unless you were brought up with this type of tradition...you may never appreciate the idea...
In my opinion... the idea of potlucks has more to do with friends getting togeather while at the same time not having to spend alot of money doing so...therefore seems to me, the idea of potlucks are more associated with the college crowd and single people that are living on meager incomes...however, like you say...seems ludicrous that anyone would host a potluck here in the Kingdom...unless it was a group consisting of the 300-500 Riyal club...
Like I said before... some 'traditions' are just so ingrained that many don't even question it. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 6:57 am Post subject: |
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| the idea of potlucks are more associated with the college crowd and single people that are living on meager incomes...however, like you say...seems ludicrous that anyone would host a potluck here in the Kingdom...unless it was a group consisting of the 300-500 Riyal club |
That's exactly the way I see it. The idea of having a bunch of friends around to munch on food they cooked themselves might be fine for impoverished students living in a dorm, but it's a bit tacky when adults on good salaries propose such an arrangement.
Anyway, back to exploding hairdryers and burning extension cords... |
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Mark100
Joined: 05 Feb 2003
Posts: 441
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 8:26 am Post subject: |
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| Cleopatra wrote: |
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| the idea of potlucks are more associated with the college crowd and single people that are living on meager incomes...however, like you say...seems ludicrous that anyone would host a potluck here in the Kingdom...unless it was a group consisting of the 300-500 Riyal club |
That's exactly the way I see it. The idea of having a bunch of friends around to munch on food they cooked themselves might be fine for impoverished students living in a dorm, but it's a bit tacky when adults on good salaries propose such an arrangement.
Anyway, back to exploding hairdryers and burning extension cords... |
On the subject of money and tightfistedness there were some Americans on Aramco that took the cake as far as i am concerned.
They were on megabucks like 30US tax free a month and yet they had a garage sale where they were selling used Christmas Cards...5 riyals if i recall.
I met many generous expat Americans and other nationalities on Aramco but there were a notable group of people whose miserliness was just beyond the pale. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 10:59 am Post subject: |
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| They were on megabucks like 30US tax free a month and yet they had a garage sale where they were selling used Christmas Cards...5 riyals if i recall. |
I regret to say this does not surprise me. Stinginess is a state of mind, and has little or nothing to do with objective factors like the amount of money one has in the bank. The type of people who sell used Xmas cards will do so no matter how much they earn.
A few years ago we had a thread on this very subject: expats who have "masallama" sales where they buy and sell trifling items to each other. Some of the more outrageous examples that were mentioned, as I recall, included the man who sold used lightbulbs to his colleagues, and the hospital administrator who tried (and for all I know, succeeded) to sell her used colander and chopping board.
"Tacky" doesn't even begin to describe it. |
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scot47
Joined: 10 Jan 2003
Posts: 15343
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:45 am Post subject: |
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| We had one who sold his old running shoes and his wife's breast pump. Do not know if he found a buyer. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 11:57 am Post subject: |
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| his wife's breast pump |
If this story is true, it far and away out-tacks all the other stories.
A salmonella infested chopping board or mangy bed sheets seem almost acceptable in comparison. |
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Gulezar
Joined: 19 Jun 2007
Posts: 483
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:22 pm Post subject: Potlucks and ugly exchanges |
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Lighten up. If you think that they idea of sharing food is odd ... think Thanksgiving. Maybe it is embedded in the American psyche. The best part of compound life for me ... My compound was a converted dormitory ... was getting together for a meal with the gang. Ramadan was fabulous ... dishes from Libya to Indonesia and then the stories with the tea afterwards.
This will make your toes curl: An American school that I worked at had an ugly exchange every year during the holidays. Concept: find the most hideous unwanted gift item stashed away in the back of your closet. Wrap it in lovely paper and a bow, and put it under the office holiday bush. Then the jolly old elf passes out the presents to one and all. Of course there is an ample supply of home-baked goodies and coffee, too.
That brings up the ever popular American cookie exchange.
Back to topic: If I ever work in another American school that has an ugly exchange, I'll wrap up my useless plug converters from Saudi.
Last edited by Gulezar on Thu Jul 31, 2008 12:25 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Thu Jul 31, 2008 1:09 pm Post subject: |
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| If you think that they idea of sharing food is odd ... think Thanksgiving. Maybe it is embedded in the American psyche. |
Yes, because of course we all know that only Americans have national holidays where a special meal with family and friends is part of the festivities. It's not the notion of 'sharing' food that is objectionable about the whole 'potluck' farce, it's the idea of being invited to someone's home while at the same time being asked to provide one's own food. As I say, call me old-fashioned but I was brought up to believe that a guest is a guest and should be treated with hospitality - which includes the provision of plenteous food if one is invited to dinner.
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| The best part of compound life for me ... My compound was a converted dormitory ... was getting together for a meal with the gang. |
Well, each to their own. Personally, one of the things I like about KSA is the respect for privacy - I didn't come here to indulge in communal living on a regular basis. |
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