Cohousing-L Mailing List: Theme Meals

[Sharon Villines (sharon]

I’ve probably said this before but one of the kinds of meals that have been the 
most fun and most well attended are potlucks with a focus: 

1. The Squash Challenge. One butternut squash plant in our garden produced 12 
(16?) huge squash — more like pumpkins. People took a squash and made a dish — 
no other requirements. We had a whole meal of squash dishes and it was 
fabulous. I tested all the dishes and they were so different that I had no 
sense that I had just eaten a meal of 12 squash dishes. 

2. Pest Festo. This is done annually by a member who takes the end of the 
season basil and makes endless Pesto. She cooks as long as supplies last and 
people are still eating.

3. Dinner at 8. Most often with a theme — Hawaii, St. Patricks Day, Day of the 
Dead, Talk Like a Pirate Day, etc. Complete with decorations and costumes if 
desired.

4. Brunch at 11:30 _PM_ on a Saturday night is the latest. Very well attended.

5. Brunches with a speaker. Someone who has take a trip or has an interesting 
topic to share.

6. Pi Day. An array of pies only. Organized annually by one member. I think at 
7:00 on a Friday.

7. Dennis’s Birthday — Dennis has Ben & Jerry’s ice cream catered every year on 
his birthday in July.

8. Take Out. We haven’t had one of these in a while but we used to have 
spontaneous gatherings in the piazza where everyone brought home take out on a 
Friday night.

9. Cookouts/potlucks on summer holidays. 

10. Kids meals. Two people alternate making kids meals on most Thursdays. 
Simple meals of kid friendly food. 

11. Taco Night — one of the cook teams in the regular rotation of Monday night 
Soup ’n Simple makes a standard menu of tacos

12. An Indian meal by an India Indian resident.

I’m sure there have been even more, but the focus makes the meals more 
interesting and more people come. Just announcing a pot luck doesn’t work as 
well as having a focus. It becomes a challenge an event, not just an optional 
meal.

Sharon
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Sharon Villines
Takoma Village Cohousing, Washington DC
http://www.takomavillage.org