Friday, August 13, 2010

Back to School Night



I grew up in California, near San Francisco. I don't think I ever actually attended a potluck event as a kid. I think we thought that was something more along the lines of something we saw in Ma and Pa Kettle movies. So, you can imagine how dumbstruck I was when I first moved to Juneau, which I came to believe was the potluck capital of the world.

You see, one of the first things that struck me in Juneau when I got there in the early '90s was the plethora of potluck events that I was invited to and that I attended. Now in the early 90s I was single, going to classes for my masters degree, and working two additional jobs to stay afloat. For many of the potluck affairs, the only thing I could manage to bring based on my ridiculous schedule was often a bag of chips. I must confess, a couple of times I didn't bring anything!

But here in Barrow, they have developed the potluck into an art form, at least the one I went to last week. Admittedly, all of the
potlucks aren't like this one. This was the community potluck welcoming all of the teachers (veterans and new teachers) back to school. In order to make sure there's enough food to go around, anyone who brings a dish to the event receives a raffle ticket. This cuts down on those, who for whatever reason, don't bring anything, but do enjoy the party. Now that I don't work two jobs while going to school full time, I'm happy to bring my share and more...makes me feel as though I'm paying back. The grand prize in the raffle was two round trip tickets anywhere Alaska Airlines flies. I didn't win that. 

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