tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post7452164850239012724..comments2024-03-28T07:47:45.855+00:00Comments on Separated by a Common Language: brown-bagging and potluckslynneguisthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10171345732985610861noreply@blogger.comBlogger56125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-85440421242129266822017-12-21T19:07:11.547+00:002017-12-21T19:07:11.547+00:00Brown-noser is weaksauce. Serious sycophants are ...<i>Brown-noser</i> is weaksauce. Serious sycophants are known as <i>brown-neckers</i>.John Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452247999156925669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-84028152020928696362017-07-16T21:52:13.731+01:002017-07-16T21:52:13.731+01:00For me (Southern English, born in the 1960s), the ...For me (Southern English, born in the 1960s), the expression 'take pot luck' just means 'take your chances', and has no particular food connotations.<br />To me it is not dissimilar in meaning from 'take a lucky dip'. (Is a lucky dip a thing in AmE?).<br />I'm vaguely aware of the existence of 'American suppers', which I think equate to what I have just learnt are known in the US as 'potlucks', but I don't recall ever being invited to one.<br />If I did receive such an invitation, I'm rather afraid that the complicated social and culinary expectations with which the concept is loaded would probably lead to my regretfully discovering that I had an unavoidable prior engagement.Grhmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-91241491523925144452015-10-17T03:29:08.295+01:002015-10-17T03:29:08.295+01:00Here in rural northeast Lancashire, a church, vill...Here in rural northeast Lancashire, a church, village or community 'bring and share' or 'potluck' type of meal is known as a 'Jacob's join'.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12287330410958864716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-32942850718105939212014-09-13T23:51:17.710+01:002014-09-13T23:51:17.710+01:00If you want to get really regional in AmE, certain...If you want to get really regional in AmE, certain parts of the country refer to a Brown Bag as a Poke. For example: "I brought a poke lunch today."Chris Blackburnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-37191766082903663802013-09-08T12:38:33.927+01:002013-09-08T12:38:33.927+01:00In many contexts, picnic in British English may ha...In many contexts, <i>picnic</i> in British English may have lost its connotations of a pleasant leisure event. However <i>That was no picnic</i> still refers to something unpleasantly stressful.<br /><br />When I was a boy we always used the term <i>sandwiches</i> for packed lunches, whatever they consisted of. I don't know whether this was just at my school. In my home town of Nottingham I sometimes heard the word <i>snap</i> — a miners' term which escaped into local usage.<br /><br />To Brits of my generation, the word <i>lunchbox</i> is indelibly association with the sprinter Lynford Christie and the bulge in his long tight lycra shorts.<br /><br />We still have some brown paper bags, but far too many shops have replaced them with bags that look as if they won't allow the food to breathe. The reason we never (well, not in my hearing) called them <i>brown bags</i> can't really be blamed on the word <i>brown</i> in isolation. We don't hesitate to say <i>brown envelope</i>.<br /><br />I don't think I've ever heard British speakers pronouncing <i>potluck</i> with the American single word-stress. We say two words with full word-stress and usually in the warning <i>You'll have to take pot luck, I'm afraid</i> meaning 'I can't make any guarantees as what the food will be like'.David Crosbiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01858358459416955921noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-4013120867300490712013-09-07T16:29:35.313+01:002013-09-07T16:29:35.313+01:00Srobalino, for me there is a difference between &#...Srobalino, for me there is a difference between 'having a picnic' and 'taking a picnic'. If you <i>have</i> a picnic, you package up some food in a box or basket and you'd eat it in the park on a blanket or some such; and if you <i>take</i> a picnic, it means a small selection of food to have on your journey. (Southern English person here)Larahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09938326184114199062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-75296067471822827712012-10-17T19:12:47.499+01:002012-10-17T19:12:47.499+01:00oh one more thing, picking my kids up for lunch wo...oh one more thing, picking my kids up for lunch would have been impossible, they were 30 miles away from where I worked. and I only had a 30 minute lunch break.Mindynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-37159253467110965512012-10-17T18:58:30.913+01:002012-10-17T18:58:30.913+01:00most of the potlucks I have gone to provided the M...most of the potlucks I have gone to provided the Mane dish, or the "meat" and everyone else brought a "side" dish, or a dessert, but we would not have brought a dessert if you specifically said that cake was being provided, or that you were bringing the cake.Mindynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-32525435825574102732012-10-17T18:50:50.257+01:002012-10-17T18:50:50.257+01:00Did the guest to Grover's picnic notice that t...Did the guest to Grover's picnic notice that they brought the wrong kind of "dish"? <br /><br />If not no biggie (AmE for not a big problem) LOLMindynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-13079551155849684732012-10-13T17:08:45.038+01:002012-10-13T17:08:45.038+01:00srobalino, I would agree with your North American ...srobalino, I would agree with your North American usage of picnic. Growing up in Canada, we always used picnic to mean packing a lunch from home and bringing it to a park or other outdoor location to eat (usually upon a blanket on the ground!).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-37008180494689416002012-07-27T16:21:44.614+01:002012-07-27T16:21:44.614+01:00I know this post isn't specifically about picn...I know this post isn't specifically about picnics, but thought I'd put this here since the post covers this in some respects.<br /><br />I don't know if it's just me and my family (Californian) or what, but when we say we were having a picnic it meant that we were going to gather up some food and go somewhere outdoors and settle for the afternoon - e.g. by a river, at the beach, in a meadow. I always find it odd when people in the UK refer to taking along a picnic for their train journey or to some sporting event or whatever... essentially the phrase 'take a picnic' seems to just mean 'take lunch/food' with us instead of buying it enroute or at our destination. To me that's just taking along your own food, not taking/going for a picnic.<br /><br />Is this just me and my family or is that same sense of just taking your own food common in the US when using the word picnic? <br /><br />Hope this makes sense!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-63477485305304456392011-12-03T19:42:05.741+00:002011-12-03T19:42:05.741+00:00I've always been a brown-bagger, never having ...I've always been a brown-bagger, never having owned a lunchbox. Now, however, I usually put my lunch in my backpack. Yeah, I'm 53, wanna make something of it? [belligerent AmE question, notionally an invitation to a fistfight, here used ironically: backpacks aren't usually worn by professional men of my age, unless they are geeks, as I am; they are more of a student thing]. Rather than using an actual brown bag, the lunch consists of a microwaveable container holding leftovers from the night before lasts's dinner.<br /><br />My wife teaches reading and writing at the New York Public Library, which holds a potluck-cum-public reading for the students and tutors [unusual in AmE, generally implies one-to-one or (as in this case) one-to-few] once or twice a year. We always go and always bring cider [AmE: non-alcoholic but unfiltered apple juice], since nobody ever thinks to bring anything to drink except the Library-provided soda [AmE, northeastern variety: Pepsi, Coke, <i>vel sim.</i>] The food is always wonderful, mostly home-cooked Spanish [NYC: Spanish-speaking Caribbean culture] food, and it definitely doesn't go to waste, since it's taken for granted that not all of the fifty-odd attendees actually bring anything at all.John Cowanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11452247999156925669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-16514973035476245342011-11-12T16:57:27.925+00:002011-11-12T16:57:27.925+00:00bklynharuspex: A potlatch was a traditional feast ...bklynharuspex: A potlatch was a traditional feast given by chiefs of the Kwakiutl and other Native American tribes along the Pacific northwest.<br /><br />During a potlatch, the chief would display his wealth and secure his status by giving away quantities of food and gifts, and later by destroying his own possessions as well. Eventually the potlatch tradition became a serious economic burden to the society, since each chief strove to outdo the others.<br /><br />"Potlatch" is a Nootka word and has nothing to do with "potluck".<br /><br />A "potluck" meal, of course, is one where you "take pot luck" -- eat whatever happens to be available.<br /><br />Taking pot luck doesn't necessarily imply a number of people providing food. You can just as easily take pot luck by dropping in on a friend at mealtime.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-18107003747147189102011-11-08T03:50:16.231+00:002011-11-08T03:50:16.231+00:00I've hosted and attended several potlucks (all...I've hosted and attended several potlucks (all in the UK) and not once have there been any issues in understanding excess cakewise or otherwise.Turkeyphanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02702810409977611666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-60485354449826435292011-11-06T03:24:27.765+00:002011-11-06T03:24:27.765+00:00It seems no-one has mentioned that in Australia th...It seems no-one has mentioned that in Australia the equivalent of the American potluck is found on invitations as "bring a plate". This can be confusing for new-comers. It is not a request that you bring along crockery because the host doesn't have enough for everyone; the plate should have food on it! Whether you bring sweet or savoury doesn't matter, there's usually a good mix in the end.Vireyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16464838238295059335noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-52660123901948702932011-11-06T00:48:43.913+00:002011-11-06T00:48:43.913+00:00New York anonymous, I've got to object to that...New York anonymous, I've got to object to that as far too general a statement. The range of home entertainment that I encounter in NYC includes explicit potlucks; informal dinner or lunch parties where you ask "what can I bring?" and get the answer "Nothing, really," "Anything you like," or maybe "How about dessert?;" evening parties to which, without asking, you bring a bottle of wine or sixpack of beer; and more formal parties for which it is somehow clear that any contribution would be superfluous -- though even then you might bring some fancy chocolates you happened to come across. <br /><br />The potLATCH is another kind of meal entirely. I wonder, but am too lazy to investigate, what the relationship between the two words might be.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-42213342537214016242011-10-26T20:14:00.858+01:002011-10-26T20:14:00.858+01:00In New York, at least, the notion of a potluck see...In New York, at least, the notion of a potluck seems awfully rude. It's like inviting someone and then telling them you expect them to feed your other guests.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-37794155062690100022009-07-28T14:38:53.945+01:002009-07-28T14:38:53.945+01:00I forgot to add that where I work (a university li...I forgot to add that where I work (a university library) we definitely do have staggered lunch breaks so as to stay open all day, even backroom staff. I don't know about childcare arrangements, but would be very surprised if they closed at lunchtime.<br />Also that the current British obsession with health and safety has prevented us from having bring-and-share lunches at work. We have to use the in-house caterers for social events during working hours.<br />Kate (Derby)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-1216448840802675042009-07-28T12:30:33.940+01:002009-07-28T12:30:33.940+01:00I'm used to "bring and share" meals ...I'm used to "bring and share" meals here in Derby, UK, e.g. church social events and after-concert parties with my choral society. We used to have them at work, where they were called "fuddles". I'd never heard the word before and used to think it meant specifically a potluck meal, but I believe it means any social gathering. Sometimes you are asked to write down in advance what you intend to bring, or people with names beginning A-M are asked to bring savoury items and the rest sweet.<br />Kate (Derby)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-35382754908686959552008-10-29T14:24:00.000+00:002008-10-29T14:24:00.000+00:00"Packed lunch" would be the usual BrE term. I've a..."Packed lunch" would be the usual BrE term. I've also seen "box/boxed lunch", especially in the context of a picnic meal made up by a caterer and packed in a small cardboard box.<BR/><BR/>Both children and adults can take a "lunchbox" to school or work respectively, although a child is equally likely to have a satchel-type bag nowadays. An adult lunchbox is usually a plain Tupperware box or a small coolbag. "Lunchbox" can also refer more abstractly to what you put in a packed lunch.<BR/><BR/><A HREF="http://www.identitydirect.co.uk/index.html?mid=10000&target=d64.html&gclid=CKnaz_3QzJYCFQWc1AodCguzyQ" REL="nofollow">Children's lunch boxes and bags</A><BR/><A HREF="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/main.jhtml?xml=/education/2007/06/09/epacked09.xml" REL="nofollow">Telegraph: Curse of Pandora's Lunchbox</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-20631223616427661122008-08-22T23:26:00.000+01:002008-08-22T23:26:00.000+01:00What about "Brown Material Road" located in Kern C...What about "Brown Material Road" located in Kern County, California. This name amused me and my next brother for years after we learned of it. We were physically full-sized adults, whatever the state of our brains.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-31508915731666057932008-08-12T21:45:00.000+01:002008-08-12T21:45:00.000+01:00Pot lucks have always been a way of life here in t...Pot lucks have always been a way of life here in the Midwestern US. Growing up, we brought dishes to pass to everything from graduations to wedding receptions. And there was never any waste, because the left overs were sent home with families with many children. Looking at the other comments, it really must be a Midwestern thing!Treginahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17729808687939596424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-34545306466221886502008-08-02T05:31:00.000+01:002008-08-02T05:31:00.000+01:00My dictionary says about the word potluck: "used i...My dictionary says about the word <I>potluck</I>: "used in reference to a situation in which one must take a chance that whatever is available will prove to be good or acceptable." A potluck is a gamble. Those of you who arrived at one where everyone brought cake are just lucky.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-51198640310852450082008-08-02T03:25:00.000+01:002008-08-02T03:25:00.000+01:00I've always used bag lunch and sack lunch intercha...I've always used bag lunch and sack lunch interchangeably, but would still say brown-bagging it. For the record my first lunchbox was bright yellow had She-Ra on it. There was later a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles lunchbox in my life, but it was probably my little brother's.<BR/><BR/>More importantly though... <BR/><BR/><I>That said, yes. Parents have to collect/pick up their children during the lunch hour. Several of the cafes on campus have high chairs--one has a designated parent/child area, about the size of a postage stamp. So, you take your child, feed them lunch and try to get something in yourself, and take them back. It gives the creche workers their lunch break. (You can pay extra for a lunch session, but that's not supposed to be something you do every day.)</I><BR/><BR/>Is this a special situation because you work at a university or is most daycare provided inhouse? If not does the same lunch hour apply? I must admit it doesn't sound very practical at first glance. Please enlighten me.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02215839051185974104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28787909.post-32185095043959999282008-08-01T10:55:00.000+01:002008-08-01T10:55:00.000+01:00Airline pilots (and crew) go shopping on their res...Airline pilots (and crew) go shopping on their rest days - I knew of one (in the 1980s) who used his North American stops to seek out packs of flat greaseproof paper bags for his children's packed lunches in the UK. <BR/><BR/>A 'paper bag' in the UK would refer to a flat and rather flimsy bag, while a paper carrier bag has a gusset and handles. It is usually pretty sturdy and can be over-engineered for the burden of jewellery or lingerie. I've never seen a sturdy bag without handles, like the US supermarket bag, in the UK.<BR/><BR/>The sandwich-maker at my local shop wraps the baguette, bap, ciabatta or whatever in greaseproof paper and puts it in a flat paper bag - if you also buy a polystyrene cup of tea and some fruit, she puts the single-wrapped sandwich and everything else into a neat carrier bag - white paper with white paper handles. Thus all rubbish is disposable in the bins at the park or in the office.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com