Pot Luck Vent

[Christine]

Reading your situation, I think it's kind of nuts. But in any ordinary potluck where the dishes aren't assigned, I think it's actually a great idea to bring something that your diet will allow and then let everyone know if it has potentially odd ingredients (splenda in meat???).

Marseeya,
I agree with you. In our main office, we usually have very large, potluck lunches. As I said before, we will usually get several types of chilis. Invariably, someone always makes a venison chili. I don't care for venison, but I think it is interesting and different. There is so much other stuff there, that it really doesn't matter if there is the odd food here or there.

 

[mum4jenn]

I have been in situations like that before only the opposite with the food. I was on a diet and all the food was high sugar high fat high everything. I was committed to my diet so I made diet versions of some of the things being brought so that I could eat and lot feel left out. I diod not get permission to do this I just did it. If I were you(or one of your co-workers) I would bake some chicken wings ...something simple such as salt.pepper,paprika....and then take a bottled sauce to go along with it. I eat my wings this way all the time and if my husband want a sauce on them he has it there. As far as pot-luch I am certain I have eaten things that people have made that have all kinds of things in them depending on what their diet plan is. Maybe they tell me maybe they don't. I don't really understand the splenda in bbq though....are you saying there is no sauce and splenda only or is she using the bbq sauce that is made with splenda??? If she is using something like the kraft CarbWell sauce it is wonderful!!! If it is just plain meat and splenda....yuck. There are lots of dishes that can be made using splenda that are even better that with sugar...I am willing to bet that many people have eaten those things with out even knowing that splenda was used. If she is using the sauce with Splenda that why not ask her to leave it plain and then have a couple of sauces that can be added later ...offer to buy the other sauce.

Anyway...If I was concerned about not having anything to eat at this function I would go ahead and bring something else anyway...It is NOT like you can be fired for bringing something you and your co-worker can eat without Splenda.

 

[Christine]

I don't really understand the splenda in bbq though....are you saying there is no sauce and splenda only or is she using the bbq sauce that is made with splenda??? If she is using something like the kraft CarbWell sauce it is wonderful!!! If it is just plain meat and splenda....yuck. There are lots of dishes that can be made using splenda that are even better that with sugar...I am willing to bet that many people have eaten those things with out even knowing that splenda was used. If she is using the sauce with Splenda that why not ask her to leave it plain and then have a couple of sauces that can be added later ...offer to buy the other sauce.

Anyway...If I was concerned about not having anything to eat at this function I would go ahead and bring something else anyway...It is NOT like you can be fired for bringing something you and your co-worker can eat without Splenda.

She is cooking the pork is vinegar and Splenda. There is no sauce. I guess it is North Carolina style where it is predominantly a vinegar base. She told me she is putting a "few scoops/spoons" of Splenda in it?

I realize some people really like Splenda. I just don't. I have tried the ice cream with Splenda and even tried it in my tea. I just don't like it. So far, it hasn't caused me any adverse effects, though.

 

[Kermit]

I think it's very odd and quite rude when they won't allow any other main dishes. If it were a big pot luck dinner with about 50 people bringing food and several were main dishes, then it would be fine, as long as it were clearly labeled as having Splenda in it. But to make it the only main dish available and to not allow people to bring something else is not normal at all.

 

[caitycaity]

in our office when we have a potluck people with special dietary restrictions often make dishes that they will be able to eat. we have a lot of us on ww (myself included) and i always make low point recipes using splenda.

i never though of it as rude, and apparently no one else here did either because people always bring stuff that they like/can eat.

 

[Lisa F]

in our office when we have a potluck people with special dietary restrictions often make dishes that they will be able to eat. we have a lot of us on ww (myself included) and i always make low point recipes using splenda.

i never though of it as rude, and apparently no one else here did either because people always bring stuff that they like/can eat.

I don't think the rude part is using splenda. The rude part is using splenda and then telling other people that they can't bring something that suits their own tastes/issues more... the key is that no one has a problem because people always bring stuff that they like/can eat. Sounds like this woman is a control freak and is not allowing that.

 

[Christine]

Well, I will be eating this scrumptuous fare in about one hour!! I'm sure it will be fine. I just wish there was more variety!! I do like a good pot luck.

 

[Christine]

I don't think the rude part is using splenda. The rude part is using splenda and then telling other people that they can't bring something that suits their own tastes/issues more... the key is that no one has a problem because people always bring stuff that they like/can eat. Sounds like this woman is a control freak and is not allowing that.

You got it!! I could tell you some stories about some of our "bowling outings" that she has organized. She won't let certain people bowl with others because they are "too friendly" on a normal basis.

 

[Jennasis]

This is no different than someone bringing a dish with raisins or nuts or any other ingrediant that others may find "yucky" or even cause a severe allergic reaction.

Bring what you will eat and encourage others to do the same. If the Splenda lady gets her feathers ruffled simply tell her "I'm allergic to Splenda" or something else like that.

ORrrrrrrrrr, have you considered TRYING the Splenda dish? You might like it. What if she had made regular BBQ and you or the others simply disliked the taste of it. I see no problem here. Bring what you want to bring and tell her you don't like Splenda.

 

[Christine]

ORrrrrrrrrr, have you considered TRYING the Splenda dish? You might like it. What if she had made regular BBQ and you or the others simply disliked the taste of it.

Oh, I'll be trying it for sure. Or else starve.

 

[disykat]

I'm LOL my way through this thread. When I was doing my student teaching, we were in the staff room and my cooperating teacher (that's what we called the teacher you student taught for LOL) "organized" a potluck. It was just like this. She assigned everyone something. I'd never seen anything like it, but it sure made me feel better about the way she kept trying to "organize" me in the classroom. I felt bullied the entire semester, but I had no choice but to fall into her line because my degree/career depended on it. (Fortunately I had a great supervisor from my college that could see what was going on and kept encouraging me!)

I agree - potlucks should be about choice. IF the meal is to be a planned menu, then it needs to be something everyone participating will enjoy.

 

[Obi-Wan Pinobi]

Nothing to add to the discussion but I want to thank DoeWDW for posting that recipe. Those wings sound good and might be something to try for a party over the holidays.

 

[froglady]

As many others have posted, I would just go ahead and bring an additional dish, WITHOUT clearing it with the organizer. OR plan on eating before or after the luncheon; maybe you could sneak something into your briefcase?

 

[DoeWDW]

Christine, it's lunch time (at least in my timezone ) I hope you've found some yummy food. I know how tough it is to sit down to a meal you're not thrilled about, so best wishes for a better-than-expected lunch.

I'm off to the microwave to heat up a can of soup, so you're probably eating something more exciting than me.

 

[Aidensmom]

I'd head out to Wendy's before the potluck, and bring back my burger, fries and frosty to eat while everyone else ate the diet stuff.

 

[ducklite]

I would just bring another dish, or bring my own food.

I have a lot of food allergies, so it's pretty much a given that unless I can totally trust the chef (not often with home cooked meals because they don't read the ingredients they used) or read the indredients off the side of the box, I'm not eating it.

I pretty much have always brought my own food but joined in with the festivities with no problems.

I do'nt think it was rude of them to make teh food the way they did, I think the rude part was "Assigning" things to people.

Anne

 

[Christine]

Well, the lunch is over and she ended up making the barbeque without the Splenda. She told us that when we arrived. Methinks, she might be reading this board! Or maybe she thought better of it, who knows!!

 

[skiwee1]

Well, the lunch is over and she ended up making the barbeque without the Splenda. She told us that when we arrived. Methinks, she might be reading this board! Or maybe she thought better of it, who knows!!

OR maybe it was made with Splenda and she didn't want anyone to know! LOL! Since DH is a diabetic I use Spenda in a lot of my cooking and baking. With the right recipes you can't tell the difference. Unless you go flying off the bathroom all afternoon!