国外餐饮文化趣闻，欧美聚餐可以带哪些东西而哪些东西最好不要带
What should you never bring to a potluck?
译文简介
欧美聚餐小贴士：只带那些大多数人都熟悉、会喜欢的食物，宁可带一道你自己可能不吃、但你知道绝大多数人都会喜欢的菜。
正文翻译
Dante Wong
In my experience, from having being invited to more than a few potlucks during my time stateside, if you’re Chinese and the vast majority of people who are going to be at the potluck are non-East-Asian, non-South-East-Asian, DO NOT bring Chinese vegetable dishes. It will most likely, most probably, not go with any of the foods that usually end up at that sort of potluck.
在美国生活期间，我曾多次受邀参加各种聚餐。根据我的经验，如果你是华人，而聚餐的绝大多数参与者都不是东亚或东南亚裔，那就千万别带中式蔬菜菜。这类菜很可能跟聚餐上常见的食物完全不搭。
I remember when I was living in student accommodation and I received an invitation to my first potluck party, and I decided to bring 空心菜 (water spinach).
I was very naive back then. I thought that hey, since I love eating vegetables and I love eating 空心菜 , then that’s what I’m going to bring to the potluck party.
我记得自己住在学生宿舍时，第一次收到聚餐邀请，就决定带一道空心菜。
那时我太天真了。心想：既然我自己爱吃蔬菜、特别爱吃空心菜，那我就带这个去聚餐吧！
BIG MISTAKE.
A few intreprid souls did give it a try, but after one taste, did not go back for more.
The only people who actually liked it were a Japanese couple and a trio of Malaysians.
Not surprisingly, they were the only Asians at the potluck.
Like I said, I was naive.
结果大错特错。
只有几个胆大的人尝了一口，但尝完之后就再也没人回头吃了。
唯一真正喜欢这道菜的，是一对日本夫妇和三个马来西亚人——不出所料，他们也是聚餐现场仅有的亚洲人。
正如我所说，我当时真的很天真。
After that, every potluck I got invited to, I made the same thing.
Sausage rolls.
Like British-style sausage rolls.
Every potluck.
Sausage rolls.
Sausage rolls.
Sausage rolls.
从那以后，每次被邀请参加聚餐，我都做同一样东西：
香肠卷。
英式香肠卷。
每次都是香肠卷。
香肠卷。
香肠卷。
香肠卷。
And every time, there would be zero leftovers.
One time, a friend cajoled me into bringing something “Asian”.
“You’re Chinese. You worked in Asian restaurants before! You should bring something Chinese or Asian!” he said.
“No,” I said. “I’m going to be bringing sausage rolls.”
“Come on, man! Make something Asian.”
“No. Sausage rolls.”
After several rounds of this, I gave in and told him “Okay. I’ll bring something “Asian”.”
结果每次都一点剩菜都没有。
有一次，一个朋友劝我说：“你可是中国人啊！以前还在中餐馆工作过！你应该带点‘中餐’或者‘亚洲菜’！”
我回答：“不，我要带香肠卷。”
“拜托啦，老兄！做点亚洲风味的吧。”
“不行。香肠卷。”
来回拉扯好几轮后，我终于妥协了，说：“好吧，我带点‘亚洲菜’。”
This time, I prepared.
I went to ask a couple of my non-Asian American cohort.
“What do you guys usually order when you order Chinese food?”
“Noodles” was a very common answer, so I went with that.
I looked up some recipes for American-Chinese-style noodles and went with that, adapting from how I would normally prepare them for myself to how my friends would usually consume them.
Thankfully, my noodles went down pretty well.
这次我做了准备。
我特意问了几位非亚裔的美国朋友：“你们平时点中餐都点什么？”
“面条”是个很常见的答案，于是我就选了这个方向。
我查了一些美式中餐风格的面条食谱，然后按照朋友们平时的口味做了调整，而不是按我自己平时的做法。
谢天谢地，那次做的面条反响还不错。
Fried rice also went down well.
Just don’t put stuff like Chinese sausage or black fungus in it.
No need for fancy ingredients. Just egg fried rice will do the trick.
炒饭也很受欢迎。
只是别放中式腊肠或者黑木耳之类的东西。
不需要用太花哨的食材，最简单的蛋炒饭就足够了。
Conclusion:
Potlucks are not the time and place to bring your favorite food.
Only bring food that the majority of people at the potluck are familiar with.
It’s better to bring something that you yourself might not eat but which you know the vast majority of people at the potluck will enjoy.
结论：
聚餐不是展示你自己最爱吃的食物的场合。
只带那些大多数人都熟悉、会喜欢的食物。
宁可带一道你自己可能不吃、但你知道绝大多数人都会喜欢的菜。
In my experience, from having being invited to more than a few potlucks during my time stateside, if you’re Chinese and the vast majority of people who are going to be at the potluck are non-East-Asian, non-South-East-Asian, DO NOT bring Chinese vegetable dishes. It will most likely, most probably, not go with any of the foods that usually end up at that sort of potluck.
在美国生活期间，我曾多次受邀参加各种聚餐。根据我的经验，如果你是华人，而聚餐的绝大多数参与者都不是东亚或东南亚裔，那就千万别带中式蔬菜菜。这类菜很可能跟聚餐上常见的食物完全不搭。
I remember when I was living in student accommodation and I received an invitation to my first potluck party, and I decided to bring 空心菜 (water spinach).
I was very naive back then. I thought that hey, since I love eating vegetables and I love eating 空心菜 , then that’s what I’m going to bring to the potluck party.
我记得自己住在学生宿舍时，第一次收到聚餐邀请，就决定带一道空心菜。
那时我太天真了。心想：既然我自己爱吃蔬菜、特别爱吃空心菜，那我就带这个去聚餐吧！
BIG MISTAKE.
A few intreprid souls did give it a try, but after one taste, did not go back for more.
The only people who actually liked it were a Japanese couple and a trio of Malaysians.
Not surprisingly, they were the only Asians at the potluck.
Like I said, I was naive.
结果大错特错。
只有几个胆大的人尝了一口，但尝完之后就再也没人回头吃了。
唯一真正喜欢这道菜的，是一对日本夫妇和三个马来西亚人——不出所料，他们也是聚餐现场仅有的亚洲人。
正如我所说，我当时真的很天真。
After that, every potluck I got invited to, I made the same thing.
Sausage rolls.
Like British-style sausage rolls.
Every potluck.
Sausage rolls.
Sausage rolls.
Sausage rolls.
从那以后，每次被邀请参加聚餐，我都做同一样东西：
香肠卷。
英式香肠卷。
每次都是香肠卷。
香肠卷。
香肠卷。
香肠卷。
And every time, there would be zero leftovers.
One time, a friend cajoled me into bringing something “Asian”.
“You’re Chinese. You worked in Asian restaurants before! You should bring something Chinese or Asian!” he said.
“No,” I said. “I’m going to be bringing sausage rolls.”
“Come on, man! Make something Asian.”
“No. Sausage rolls.”
After several rounds of this, I gave in and told him “Okay. I’ll bring something “Asian”.”
结果每次都一点剩菜都没有。
有一次，一个朋友劝我说：“你可是中国人啊！以前还在中餐馆工作过！你应该带点‘中餐’或者‘亚洲菜’！”
我回答：“不，我要带香肠卷。”
“拜托啦，老兄！做点亚洲风味的吧。”
“不行。香肠卷。”
来回拉扯好几轮后，我终于妥协了，说：“好吧，我带点‘亚洲菜’。”
This time, I prepared.
I went to ask a couple of my non-Asian American cohort.
“What do you guys usually order when you order Chinese food?”
“Noodles” was a very common answer, so I went with that.
I looked up some recipes for American-Chinese-style noodles and went with that, adapting from how I would normally prepare them for myself to how my friends would usually consume them.
Thankfully, my noodles went down pretty well.
这次我做了准备。
我特意问了几位非亚裔的美国朋友：“你们平时点中餐都点什么？”
“面条”是个很常见的答案，于是我就选了这个方向。
我查了一些美式中餐风格的面条食谱，然后按照朋友们平时的口味做了调整，而不是按我自己平时的做法。
谢天谢地，那次做的面条反响还不错。
Fried rice also went down well.
Just don’t put stuff like Chinese sausage or black fungus in it.
No need for fancy ingredients. Just egg fried rice will do the trick.
炒饭也很受欢迎。
只是别放中式腊肠或者黑木耳之类的东西。
不需要用太花哨的食材，最简单的蛋炒饭就足够了。
Conclusion:
Potlucks are not the time and place to bring your favorite food.
Only bring food that the majority of people at the potluck are familiar with.
It’s better to bring something that you yourself might not eat but which you know the vast majority of people at the potluck will enjoy.
结论：
聚餐不是展示你自己最爱吃的食物的场合。
只带那些大多数人都熟悉、会喜欢的食物。
宁可带一道你自己可能不吃、但你知道绝大多数人都会喜欢的菜。
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I was invited to a wedding shower where the food was “potluck”. The organizer of the shower never co-ordinated what people would bring, just said how many people would attend. Arrived at the shower and eight of those “7 layer dip” platters were presented. No one brought crackers or chips. Hostess ran to the corner store to buy crackers.
我曾受邀参加一个婚礼送礼派对，主办方说食物采用“聚餐制”，但她从未协调大家各自带什么，只说了大概会有多少人参加。结果到了现场，发现有八盘“七层蘸酱”（罐装豆类品牌BUSH'S Beans的经典产品）！而没有一个人带薯片或饼干。女主人只好跑去街角商店买饼干。
Bob Hunt
I have brought food many times over the years to various functions.
I always take pride in what I take the time to cook and bring and it kind of hurts your feelings if people don’t eat it.
多年来，我参加过很多次活动，也经常带食物去。
我总是为自己花时间精心烹制的菜肴感到自豪，如果没人吃，心里真的会有点受伤。
Here are the two things I have learned not to do over the years:
Never bring anything that looks unappetizing. For instance, something that is a weird color like St. Patrick’s Day green or something that you look at and just go: What is it? People won’t even try it.
I baked a cake one time. Desserts are almost always what I bring to a potluck. One time I made this bundt cake of which I had made many times for myself. It is a really good cake. After the potluck was over, I went into the room to get my plate I brought it on and not one person had even tried it. I was so hurt. I know that is stupid, but I was. So, here was the deal. When you looked at my cake it just looked like a plain old dry bundt cake that someone made from a boxed cake and threw in a bundt pan. Everyone has had them, usually dry as the desert and just not very good. There was my mistake! I should have sliced it up so they could all see what was inside. This wasn’t a boxed cake. It was from scratch and the inside was moist and gooey and full of chocolate chips. Just a great cake. Anyway, I learned from that one.
这些年我学到了两条绝对不能做的事：
第一，永远不要带看起来没食欲的食物。比如颜色怪异的（像圣帕特里克节那种绿色），或者让人一看就嘀咕“这是啥？”的东西——人们根本不会愿意尝试。
有一次我带了一个蛋糕去聚餐，通常我都是带甜点。那次我做的是一个我常给自己做的磅蛋糕，味道其实非常好。但聚餐结束后我去拿盘子时，发现根本没人动过。我特别难过——虽然我知道这有点傻，但我确实伤心了。问题出在哪儿呢？那个蛋糕外表看起来就像超市盒装蛋糕随便倒进圆环模具烤出来的那种，干巴巴的，谁看了都觉得不好吃。其实它是我亲手做的，里面湿润柔软，还塞满了巧克力豆，非常美味。从那以后我明白了：下次应该提前切开，让大家看到里面的真面目！
Profile photo for Bob Wilson
I didn't cook at the time, and at work we were having a little Christmas get together in the office, everyone was supposed to bring an appetizer, something that could be nibbled on, and carried around on a small plate.
I called up the restaurant next door and ordered their biggest order of nachos. It was a huge plate with a small taco shell bowl of hot salsa in the middle.
It was very early in the event, but I had already had a few takers.
那时候我还不怎么会做饭。有一次公司办圣诞小型聚会，要求每人带一道可以边走边吃的小食。
我就打电话给隔壁餐厅，点了他们最大份的墨西哥玉米片——一大盘，中间还配了个小碗装热辣莎莎酱。
活动刚开始没多久，已经有几个人来拿了。
Then a coworker who may have been born in another country, but I knew for sure that he had been in Canada at least 30 years, and had no accent, came over and asked what it was. I was kind of surprised, I assumed everyone knew what nachos were. So I just said nachos, you just tear off a piece. He reached down to the center of the plate, and grabbed the bowl of hot salsa. Before I could say anything, he took a bite out of it. He looked at it, tilted it, so the salsa wouldn't run out, and took a second bite. At first I was mad, thinking he was making fun of my potluck choice. Then the heat hit him, and he said, its very hot. I realized he wasn't doing it on purpose. I was still annoyed that nobody else would have any salsa. He looked like he was going to put the half eaten bowl back on the nacho platter, and I told him not to put half eaten food back on the platter.
这时一位同事走了过来。他可能出生在别的国家，但在加拿大至少住了30年，说话完全没有口音。他问我这是什么。我当时挺惊讶的，以为人人都知道玉米片是什么。我就简单回答：“这是墨西哥玉米片，撕一块就行。”
结果他伸手直接抓起中间那碗热辣莎莎酱，咬了一口！我还没来得及阻止，他就又咬了第二口，一边歪着碗不让酱汁流出来。一开始我以为他在故意取笑我带的食物，有点生气。但很快辣味上来了，他皱着脸说：“好辣！”我才意识到他不是故意的。不过我仍然很恼火，因为其他人都没莎莎酱可蘸了。他甚至还想把咬了一半的酱碗放回玉米片盘子里，我赶紧制止：“别把吃过的放回去！”
He took another bite and wandered off to talk to someone else.
After that,a few people had nachos, but some commented that it was too bad there was no salsa.
So I would say don't bring anything that might confuse the guests.
他接着又咬了一口，然后走开跟别人聊天去了。
后来虽然还有人吃了玉米片，但好几个人抱怨说：“可惜没有莎莎酱了。”
所以我的建议是：别带可能会让客人困惑的食物。
Steve Engebretson
Premade salads, such as potato, macaroni, etc. I took a 3 pound carton of Resers potato salad that I bought at a store. No one touched it. After the dinner, one of the attendees very quietly and politely told me that premade stuff tastes like crap due mostly to all the preservatives. I had never previously tasted it so did not know. I love potato salad and tasted it. That person was right. It tasted like crap. I was so embarrassed. I will never buy that stuff again.
我曾经带过超市买的现成沙拉，比如土豆沙拉、通心粉沙拉之类的。有一次我买了整整三磅Reser’s牌的土豆沙拉。结果没人碰。聚餐结束后，一位客人悄悄、礼貌地告诉我：“这种现成的沙拉吃起来像垃圾，主要是防腐剂太多。”我之前从没尝过，不知道味道这么差。回家一试，果然难吃死了。我尴尬极了，从此再也不买这种东西了。
Ethan Muse
I remember a man in one of the churches I used to pastor who once found a sale on canned greens at the store. He was white and from the west coast and greens were not part of his cultural background so he’d never actually had them before. Having never eaten them before he didn’t know if he would like greens or not but because they were on sale he bought 17 cans of them just in case he might think they were good. I don’t remember if all 17 were cans of turnip greens or if some were collards or mustard but I definitely remember there being lots of turnip greens.
我记得以前在一间教会服事时，有位弟兄在超市看到罐头青菜打折。他是白人，来自西海岸，青菜并不是他文化背景里的食物，所以他从来没吃过。但他看到便宜，就一口气买了17罐——不确定全是芜菁青菜（turnip greens），还是混了些羽衣甘蓝或芥菜青菜（mustard greens），但我清楚记得里面有很多芜菁青菜。
As it turned out, he quickly discovered that he did not like them at all and tried to think of ways to get rid of them. He decided to bring some to potluck at church. But in order to show off his culinary creativity he decided to add something to them. Now, had he been southern or African American he’d have known what to put in them and how to properly season them, but he was neither of those. He was, however, crazy (if somehow the 17 cans of something he didn’t even know if he liked hadn’t already clued you in to this fact). So for potluck one week he brought a Pyrex casserole dish filled with an equal amount of turnip greens and canned cream style corn mixed together. Unfortunately for him, while he was not southern himself, this church was in a southern state and so pretty much everyone else there did know how to make greens and did know that they weren’t going anywhere near that dish of what looked like the diarrhea of a sick cow.
结果他很快发现自己根本不喜欢吃，就想办法处理掉。他决定带到教会聚餐上。为了显得自己有创意，他还往里面加了点东西。如果他是南方人或非裔美国人，就知道该怎么调味；但他两者都不是。而且说实话，他有点疯（不然谁会买17罐自己都不知道喜不喜欢吃的东西？）。于是某次聚餐，他端来一个Pyrex烤盘，里面一半是芜菁青菜，一半是罐头奶油玉米，混在一起。不幸的是，虽然他自己不是南方人，但教会所在的州却是南方，几乎所有人都知道青菜该怎么做——所以没人敢靠近那盘看起来像“病牛拉稀后”的产物。
One hundred percent of what he brought to potluck that day went back home with him. Undaunted by this minor setback, he kept it in his fridge all week and brought it back to the next potluck the following week. This time, however, it did not go untouched because one dear old saint was able to pour it all down the garbage disposal when he wasn’t looking in order to ensure it didn’t show up for a third time next week with possibly a bit more green on top.
那天他带去的菜一口都没人动，全带回去了。但他毫不气馁，把剩菜放进冰箱，下周聚餐又带来了。这次倒是有人动了——一位善良的老姊妹趁他不注意，偷偷把整盘倒进了厨房的垃圾粉碎机，以免下周它第三次出现，上面可能还长点绿霉。
John McC
Things with secret meat in them.
I learned this one the hard way. Showed up with a beautiful apple pie… with lard in the crust. Then I spent half the party explaining why it was on the non-vegetarian table, plus more time that I should have apologizing to an angry vegetarian who had ignored the signs on the tables and grabbed a slice anyhow. Most of the vegetarians I know are chill, understanding people. This dude was not.
别带“隐藏肉类”的食物。
我吃过一次亏：带了个漂亮的苹果派……但派皮里用了猪油。结果我花了半个派对时间解释为什么它被放在“非素食区”，还得不断向一位愤怒的素食者道歉——他无视桌子上的标识，直接拿了一块。我认识的大多数素食者都很宽容，但这位显然不是。
Mary Warren
I live in a small senior community (97 units) & have somehow ended up “in charge” of potlucks, etc.We have 1 a month.
I send out a “blast” via text or email to those who want to receive them, approx 80 of the units, & also post in common areas.
I try to make them fun with various themes, mostly for decor & attire like Wizard of Oz, Red/White & Blue, Mardi Gras but some themes spill over to food like Breakfast for Dinner (very popular), Cinco deMayo, County Fair (had a chilli cook-off & pie contest), Luau or Beach theme, etc.
我住在一个小型老年社区（共97户），不知怎么就成了聚餐活动的组织者。我们每月办一次聚餐。
我会通过短信或邮件通知大约80户愿意接收消息的住户，同时也在公共区域张贴通知。
我尽量让聚餐变得有趣，设定不同主题——比如《绿野仙踪》、红白蓝爱国风、狂欢节等，有些主题也会延伸到食物，比如“早餐当晚餐”（非常受欢迎）、“五月五日节”（Cinco de Mayo墨西哥节日，为纪念1862年普埃布拉战役胜利而设立的传统节日）、“乡村集市”（有辣椒烹饪比赛和派饼大赛）、“夏威夷卢奥派对”或“海滩主题”等等。
Growing up (1970's) Mom had a family casserole she always provided, zhushing it up a bit by adding taco seasoning to the meat & cheese on top.
In my blast I list the theme & encourage them to bring a yummy dish to share or their favorite appropriate to the theme.
我小时候（1970年代），妈妈总带一道家常砂锅菜，她会稍微改良一下——在肉里加点塔可调味料，再撒上奶酪。
我在通知里会写明主题，并鼓励大家带一道美味的分享菜，或者符合主题的拿手菜。
Many people here still work or are otherwise very active. Many don't particularly care to cook. Many have special diets. Many LOVE to cook & share.
Our turnouts vary in attendance. Precovid was usually 1 to 3 dozen. Since covid (our community wasn't hit very hard, thankfully) however, it’s more like 6 people to 2 dozen. Quite a few new residents.
我们社区很多人仍在工作或非常活跃，不少人不太喜欢做饭，也有不少人有特殊饮食需求，当然也有很多热爱烹饪、乐于分享的人。疫情前，每次聚餐通常有12到36人参加；疫情后（幸好我们社区受影响不大），人数降到6到24人不等，而且有不少新住户。
Several do bring take out or store-bought items & many bring simple salads, chips, etc.
If your dish is best hot, make sure you have the ability to serve it that way.
I do set up, decor & occasionally food. I rarely eat anything.
For us the main purpose of the potluck is community. Getting to know your neighbors.
很多人会带外卖或超市买的食品，也有很多人带简单的沙拉、薯片等。
如果你的菜最好趁热吃，请确保你能现场保温。
我会负责布置场地、装饰，偶尔也带食物，但自己很少吃东西。
对我们来说，聚餐的核心是邻里互动，食物只是个借口。
No one is keeping track of who brought what unless they want the recipe. I bought little plastic tags from $Tree (for gardening). I use sharpies & label each dish & put the contributor's name so people know what it is & who to ask for the recipe.
没人会计较谁带了什么，除非有人想问菜谱。我从“$Tree”（类似一元店）买了些塑料小标签（本来是园艺用的），用记号笔写上菜名和贡献者名字，插在每道菜旁边，方便大家识别和索要食谱。
A new neighbor is on a plant based diet & loves sharing, her made to order pancakes were a big hit.
Ultimately I suppose it depends on what the potluck is for & time of day.
Be courteous. Don't go overboard. Don't be upset if you see folks taking plates home. I’d much prefer that to throwing it away or having to bring it home.
Occasionally you get all salads or all desserts but again, for us, it’s about the gathering, food is just an excuse.
有位新邻居是纯素食主义者，她特制的煎饼大受欢迎。
归根结底，带什么可能取决于聚餐的目的和时间。
请保持礼貌，别铺张浪费，也别因为看到有人打包带回家而不高兴——我宁愿他们带走，也不想食物被扔掉或让我自己拎回去。
Summer here means Ice Cream Socials. I get individually wrapped novelties (since covid, before they served themselves from containers into cups or cones with toppings), they bring a chair & hangout in my driveway. This actually gets a better turnout. Starts Memorial Day, ends Labor Day & occurs every other Wednesday @ 7pm. There are 9 this year. People make donations to help me buy the treats.
夏天我们会办冰淇淋社交会。疫情期间开始改用独立包装的冰淇淋（以前是自助舀到杯子里加配料）。大家自带椅子，聚在我家车道上聊天。这种活动反而参与度更高。从阵亡将士纪念日开始，到劳动节结束，每年夏天每两周一次，晚上7点，今年共9场。大家也会捐款帮我买冰淇淋。
Don't put too much pressure on yourself.
Bring a tasty dish & a big smile .
The only things to NOT bring are foods that require maintaining temperature, hot or cold, without the means to do so to prevent illness or things that require sauce, dressing, or other condiments if you don't also provide them.
别给自己太大压力。
带一道好吃的菜，再带上灿烂的笑容就够了。
唯一不该带的是：无法维持安全温度（热或冷）的食物，或者需要额外酱料、调料却没一并提供的食物——这可能导致食物中毒或食用不便。
Jack McCornack
A good friend of mine was the only woman in a local flying club, and being the woman, she was naturally put in charge of food scheduling for their annual picnic. She delayed assigning foods (and when people called suggesting what they could bring, she said, “No, we have too much [insert food being offered] coming already…I’ll call you with what we need.”
我有个好朋友是当地飞行俱乐部唯一的女性成员。因为是“女人”，她“理所当然”地被安排负责年度野餐的食物协调。她一直拖着不分配任务，每当有人主动提议带什么，她就说：“不用了，我们已经有太多[对方提议的食物]了……我会打电话告诉你我们需要什么。”
She called everyone the night before and told them to bring cookies and wine.
The moral of this story is: you should never bring what somebody you’ve pissed off tells you to bring.
PS: I have verified this with people who were there, and there was nothing to eat or drink but cookies and wine, and they all should have known better — she was a notorious joker, plus she wouldn’t have been a flight instructor if she felt women should be limited to traditional woman roles because they’re women.
PPS: My use of the word “naturally” in the first line was sarcastic.
结果她在野餐前一晚才联系所有人，让他们带饼干和葡萄酒。
这个故事的教训是：千万别带一个你得罪过的人让你带的东西。
附注：我核实过当时在场的人，那天真的只有饼干和葡萄酒，啥吃的喝的都没有。其实他们早该想到——她一向爱开玩笑，而且如果她真觉得女性只能干传统“女人活”，她也不会当飞行教练了。
附注：我第一句里用的“理所当然”是反讽。
Garth Ware
In graduate school, the community of graduate students with minimal stipends would often pool resources and have potluck get-togethers.
One student came up with a strategy to minimize his costs for these potluck dinners. He’d bring a jar of pickle relish, regardless of what main dish would be featured for dinner, usually pasta.
读研究生时，我们这些靠微薄奖学金生活的研究生经常凑钱办聚餐。
有个学生想出一个省钱妙招：无论当晚主菜是什么（通常是意面），他每次都只带一瓶腌黄瓜碎。
It was rare that the pickle relish jar was even opened during the potluck.
Then, when departing at the end of the evening, he’d retrieve his pickle relish jar, and take it home in preparation for the next potluck.
His strategy did work to get him a free meal, but it did not endear him to his fellow students.
Don’t be that person that takes economizing to an extreme to the detriment of your friends and colleagues.
那瓶腌黄瓜碎几乎从来没人打开过。
聚餐结束时，他就把瓶子原封不动带回家，留着下次再用。
这招确实让他白吃了一顿饭，但也让他在同学中彻底失了人心。
所以，别做那种为了省钱而过度占便宜、伤害朋友感情的人。
Gracie Lynn
dip, fruit, or veggie platter. Chances are, especially if it’s uncoordinated, five other people will bring the same thing. It’s better to bring something that others are unlikely to bring to add more variety to the pot luck.
如果你带蘸酱、水果拼盘或蔬菜拼盘，很可能——尤其在没人协调的情况下——会有另外五个人带一模一样的东西。最好带些别人不太可能带的菜，增加聚餐的多样性。
if the pot luck is coordinated and people sign up to bring things, then definitely sign up to bring the dip, veggie, or fruit platters as they are much simpler and someone should bring them.
also, always avoid hazards such as peanuts or items with nuts or shellfish, along with other common allergens. You don’t want to accidentally put someone in the hospital with an unintended alergic reaction.
当然，如果聚餐是有组织的、大家报名分工，那你完全可以报名带蘸酱、水果或蔬菜拼盘，因为这些简单省事，而且总得有人带。
另外，一定要避开常见过敏源，比如花生、坚果、贝类等。你可不想因为无意中让别人过敏送医。
Sharon Marks
Don't volunteer to/sign up to bring the main vegetarian entree for a taco bar for a group that has a lot of vegetarians, then show up with chips and salsa. She then said that she figured everyone would know that she wasn't bringing the main dish since she had to work that day. I think one person out of about 20 knew she was working that day, not to mention most of the people there worked and still managed to bring what they signed up for.
千万别在大家都报名分工的塔可主题聚餐中，自愿承担“主素食主菜”后，却只带薯片和莎莎酱到场。那位女士后来还辩解说：“我那天要上班，大家应该都知道我不是真要带主菜。”可实际上，大约20个人里只有一个人知道她那天要工作——更何况，其他大多数人都有工作，照样完成了自己报名的任务。
This wasn't the first time she had done something like that so I actually brought several sides that could easily be used as vegetarian Taco fillings.
Just thought of another story which oddly enough also involves chips and salsa. This was at a potluck for a book club. Upon arrival this couple pretty much announced that they brought chips and salsa and that they didn't like salsa so they did not want to have to take any of it home. At the end of the discussion and after eating etcetera they announced that they were no longer going to bring food to the potluck to save money because they always had to stop at Waffle House and eat on the way home because no one ever brought anything that they would eat.
这已经不是她第一次这么做了。所以那次我特意多带了几道配菜，都是能轻松当作素食塔可馅料的。
又想起另一件事，说来也巧，还是跟薯片和莎莎酱有关。那是在读书会的一次聚餐上。一对夫妇一进门就大声宣布：“我们带了薯片和莎莎酱！但我们自己其实不喜欢莎莎酱，所以不想把剩下的带回家。”
等到讨论结束、吃完饭后，他们又宣布：以后再也不带食物参加聚餐了，因为每次都要在回家路上绕去华夫饼屋（Waffle House）吃饭——“从来没人带我们能吃的东西。”
So basically the group started a new policy that you should always bring something that you will eat just in case no one else does and that if you do not bring food you should make a donation either of paper goods or money towards incidentals.
于是读书会后来定了个新规矩：
1.带的食物必须是你自己愿意吃的，以防没人动它；
2.如果你不带食物，就得带些纸盘纸巾或现金用于杂费。
Annie Mayr
Never, and I mean NEVER, bring this cake to a potluck:
永远、永远、千万不要在聚餐上带这种蛋糕：
It’s called a “Kitty Litter Cake,” and yes, it is served in a kitty litter box. Someone once brought one to an office potluck, and as you can see, it looks completely disgusting. Let’s just say that it remained as the only untouched food item at the potluck.
这叫“猫砂蛋糕”，而且真的是用猫砂盆盛装的。有人曾在办公室聚餐带来一个，如图所示，看起来完全令人作呕。结果可想而知——它是全场唯一一道没人碰的食物。
David Wilcox
I personally wouldn't bring anything which was too spicy for the general public, or really anything too highly seasoned in any other way. Of course if the potluck is a gathering of chiliheads that doesn't apply. The best bet is to consult with the host ahead of time. Someone with experience in such parties will probably want to coordinate the menu somewhat. Even your really excellent signature dish might not be wanted if that's already covered.
我个人绝不会带太辣、或调味过重的食物给大众聚餐——除非这场聚餐本身就是一群嗜辣狂人办的，那另当别论。最稳妥的做法是提前和主办方沟通。有经验的主人通常希望对菜单稍作协调。哪怕你那道招牌菜再好吃，如果别人已经带了同类菜品，也可能并不需要。
Judy T
A really messy dessert.
别带那种“一塌糊涂”的甜点。
I host potlucks for friends, potlucks for family gatherings, even potlucks for my book club. Almost any other kind of food, no matter how messy, can be cleaned off the floor fairly easily. Messy desserts, though, leave sticky traces we may not spot right away.
我经常为朋友、家人甚至读书会组织聚餐。其他食物就算掉地上，基本都能轻松清理干净。但那种黏糊糊的甜点就不一样了——留下的痕迹往往当时看不出来。
Recently when my husband and I walked into the kitchen, the sunlight zeroed in on a partial chocolate footprint on what we thought was a clean floor. Obviously, the night before one of us potluckers had stepped on a piece of a messy dessert that had dropped on the floor and smeared it about without noticing.
最近有天早上，我和丈夫走进厨房，阳光正好照在地板上，赫然显出半个巧克力脚印！原来前一天聚餐时，有人踩到了掉在地上的甜点碎屑，拖着脚走了一路都没发现。
It’s a first world problem, but if at all possible please don’t bring a really messy dessert to a potluck.
这当然是“第一世界烦恼”，但如果可以，请尽量别带那种特别容易弄脏地板的黏腻甜点来聚餐。
Dan Tannehill
My brother.
No, seriously. That boy can eat! Chances are, he didn’t bring a dish. But by golly he’s gonna leave well fed.He also likes to collect all the used plastic spoons, forks and such along with Solo cups. He brings them home to wash them. Realize, he doesn’t have a water heater in his house, so I doubt those plastics get very clean.
我弟弟。说真的，就是他本人。那小子胃口超大！很可能他根本没带菜，但保证吃得肚皮滚圆。
他还喜欢收集用过的塑料餐具和一次性杯子，带回家洗——但他家里根本没有热水器，那些塑料估计根本洗不干净。
Oh, and let’s not forget that one time. Most folks, when they like a dish, they will ask for the recipe. Not my brother. No, he will actually get his wife to cause a distraction, then sneak the dish out the back door. I swear that boy has 15 casserole dishes and 8 crock pots in his house-ever single one of them stolen from a potluck dinner. If you see him show up, be sure to stand guard over any apple pie or banana pudding. And never ask him to bring forks, spoons or cups!
更别提还有一次了：别人喜欢某道菜，通常会问食谱。但我弟弟不一样。他会让他老婆打掩护，自己趁机把整盘菜从后门偷走！我发誓他家里至少有15个砂锅和8个慢炖锅，全是从聚餐上“顺”回来的。如果你看到他出现，请务必守好你的苹果派或香蕉布丁！也千万别让他负责带叉子、勺子或杯子！
David Rooster
My wife and I are employed at a company of over 400 total employees at three different establishments. We do work at different shops, so we attend quite a few each year. Potlucks are mostly departmental for the holidays, an employee moving on, or a potluck “just because”.
Large potlucks are ones that involve retirements or an employee that has worked for the company for many years. The large ones we are able to go to the shop hosting them being that we have been long term employees and know the employee fairly well.
我和妻子在一家拥有400多名员工、分布在三个地点的公司工作。由于我们在不同分店，每年要参加不少聚餐活动。小型聚餐通常是部门内部为节日、同事离职或“随便聚聚”而办；大型聚餐则为退休或长期服务员工举办。作为老员工，我们和当事人较熟，也能受邀参加主办分店的活动。
I have three coming up this week between the two shops.
What makes potlucks successful?
Naturally the bond of the employees is #1.
The “Theme” at #2.
Good Food comes in at #3.
这周光是我们两个分店就有三场聚餐。
什么样的聚餐才算成功？
1. 员工之间的感情纽带（最重要）
2. 有明确主题
3. 食物够好
Good food consist of a main course.
Protein, protein, protein.
Pulled pork.
Chicken.
Burgers.
Sausage.
Pizza.
Stew.
Chilli.
Etc.
Then it all goes down from there very fast.
bread, buns etc.
potatoes with parsley
finger food deserts.
所谓“好食物”，核心是主菜——
蛋白质！蛋白质！蛋白质！
比如：手撕猪肉、鸡肉、汉堡、香肠、披萨、炖菜、辣椒等等。
接下来依次是：
面包/汉堡包、撒欧芹的土豆、方便拿的小份甜点。
From here down there will always be leftovers unless the protein runs out, or the person bringing in something is well known to make a quality product.
potato and macaroni salad.
chips.
rice.
Eggs.
pies, the only pies that typically don’t last are from the aforementioned person.
cakes, unless it is a retirement cake then folks will eat a piece out of respect.
The absolute two worst things to bring is, insert drum roll here,
再往下，除非蛋白质不够，或者某人以厨艺闻名，否则基本都会剩：
土豆沙拉、通心粉沙拉、薯片、米饭、鸡蛋、派（只有那位名厨做的派不会剩）、蛋糕（除非是退休特制蛋糕，大家出于尊重会吃一块）。
”Three Bean Salad” or “Pasta”
Ive seen it so many times and rarely does anyone eat any.
Pasta is dry or mushy, and very few peeps enjoy three bean salad.
Please add “Tips and tricks for a successful Potluck” in the comment section, we are always up for experimenting.
最糟糕的两样东西是——（敲鼓声）
“三豆沙拉”（Three Bean Salad）或“意面”
我见过太多次了，几乎没人吃。意面不是太干就是太烂，而三豆沙拉根本没人喜欢。
If someone doesn’t know what to bring or are busy with life duties and don’t have time just donate to the protein. It is pricey!
What I tell someone that wants to bring something but don't know what to bring is to “bring something that you like that way you are guaranteed to eat something that you enjoy”.
建议：如果不知道带什么，或实在没时间做饭，干脆捐点钱支持买主菜——肉很贵的！
我常告诉犹豫的人：“带你自己爱吃的东西，这样至少你能吃到喜欢的。”
Ruth Ellis Haworth
Don’t bring soup. It requires an extra dish (bowl) and utensil (spoon) and an extra hand to carry it along with the paper plate full of other food.
Don’t bring ice cream or anything else that is frozen. It will melt.
Don’t put out something that the eaters have to cut. Cut it up yourself. If you bring an uncut loaf of bread, slice the bread and then cut most of the pieces in half. Ditto with other food: make sure the pieces of your food are small enough that everyone can take a piece. Remember they are putting a whole lot of other stuff on their plates.
别带汤。汤需要额外的碗、勺子，还得腾出一只手端着，不方便拿纸盘装其他食物。
别带冰淇淋或其他冷冻食品——会化掉。
别让客人自己切食物。你自己提前切好。比如带一条没切的面包？请先切片，再把大部分切成半片。其他食物同理：确保每份足够小，方便大家夹取——毕竟他们盘子里已经堆满别的菜了。
Related to the last point, don’t require the eaters to assemble your food. If you have crackers with cheeses and mustards, put the condiments and the cheese on the crackers in advance. It’s awkward to try to assemble food while holding a paper plate, and it holds up the line.
Don’t bring something that requires another food item that you didn’t bring. For example, I once went to a potluck where some guy threw a wrapped pound of butter on the table. (It wasn’t opened.) Another example: I have seen people bring gravy, expecting to find mashed potatoes.
别让客人现场组装食物。如果你带的是饼干配奶酪和芥末酱，请提前把配料抹好。一手拿纸盘一手组装，既尴尬又堵住队伍。
别带需要搭配其他食材但你又没带的东西。比如有人曾把一整包没拆封的黄油往桌上一扔；还有人带肉汁，指望现场有土豆泥——结果没有。
At most potlucks I’ve been to, there are too many desserts and not enough meats and vegetables. Your mileage may vary.
多数聚餐我都发现：甜点太多，肉类和蔬菜太少。当然，各地情况可能不同。
Unit
I would say any kind of meat, fish, or poultry - simply because it’s not reasonable to expect others to trust your unknown food safety standards. There are just too many risks with meat. Salads are another no-no IMO, for the same reason. Some people don’t wash lettuce, for example. Or they used bagged ingredients which they assume are already washed. That’s not safe, and it’s hell lazy. Basically take along anything which is cooked and vegetarian.
我会说：任何肉类、鱼类或禽类都别带——因为你无法指望别人信任你未知的食品安全标准。肉类风险太高。沙拉也是雷区，原因相同：有人根本不洗生菜，或者以为袋装食材“已经洗过”就直接用，既不安全又太懒。总之，最好带煮熟的素食。
It goes without saying you shouldn’t take anything that says you hate the guests .. like this:
不用说你也该知道：别带那种明显写着“我讨厌你们这群人”的食物……比如下面这个：
At least try to pretend you like them .. and take something like this:
至少假装你喜欢一起聚会的客人们……带点看起来像样的东西去吧，类似这种：