Host/Hostess Responsibilities

The Host/Hostess must coordinate the party by controlling the variety of food that people bring. (We have added a food list which you can print from this website to save you time.) For example, make sure there are:

• Appetizers
• Miso Soup, Stew or Chili
• Rice Dishes
• Greens
• Vegetable Dishes
• Pressed Salad (can be a raw salad if it's Spring/Summer)
• Sea Vegetable Dish
• Pasta
• Sushi
• Tofu Dish
• Tempeh Dish
• Seitan Dish
• Dessert (no more than 2)

If new people call, give them simple things to make. For example:

• Steamed greens
• Appetizers like Hummus & Chips, or Bean Dip
• or give them a recipe from the following cookbooks:

The Self Healing Cookbook by Kristina Turner

Cooking the Whole Foods Way by Christina Pirello

Also new attendees or people who have no time to cook, may want to go the easiest route and pick something that's quick to bring to the Potluck instead of spending time cooking in the kitchen.

Here are some suggestions of Macrobiotic items from Mother's Market in Huntington Beach, although you can find these items in most health food grocery stores in the area:

Eden Pickled Daikon 5.39 oz

Cosmic Cukes 1 quart

Choice Organic Twig Tea 16 bags

Grain Coffee - Roma, Yannoh, etc.

Santa Cruz or Knudsen Organic Apple Juice 1 gal

Bottled water

Santa Cruz Organic Apple Sauce 6 indiv servings

Santa Cruz Organic Apple Sauce jar

Kavli Rye Crisp 5.29 oz

Brown Rice Snaps 3.5 oz

Eden Brown Rice Chips 1.70 oz

Real Foods Organic Corn Thins 5.5 oz

Lundberg Organic Rice Cakes 8.5 oz

Garden of Eatin' Organic Corn Chips bag

Eden Toasted Sushi Nori 7 sheets

Santa Barbara Olives can

Cedarlane Hummus 7 oz.

Cedarlane Egg Free Tofu Salad 7 oz.

Deli-Counter @ Mothers: Japanese Pasta 1 lb.

Deli-Counter @ Mothers: Tofu Salad 1 lb.

steamed greens

raw vegetables with dip

boiled cauliflower and/or broccoli

Let people offer their dish. However, if you already have someone bringing a rice dish suggest something else. Have your list ready so you can say, "How about Tofu, Tempeh, Pressed Salad or Kinpira, etc." Feel them out. If they don't have a clue keep it simple. Offer to fax a simple recipe or just have them bring vegetables. The old timers can create much more. They have had lots of practice.

Tell each person to bring a dish to serve 20-25 people so everyone gets a taste. Otherwise people bring small amounts.

Remind them to bring a recipe card or card listing ingredients with their dish to share with the group. It's very inspiring to all !!!

Tell each person the Host liaises with the webmaster for the voting. Attendees cast their vote for the Favorite Dish. As there may be more than one dish containing tofu at the Potluck, a dish name like Tofu dish is too general. A descriptive recipe name like "Pan Fried Tofu Cutlets" will do the trick for the ballot.

The Host/Hostess enforces this rule so members can relate the dish they sampled at the Potluck with the name on the ballot and ensure they can effectively vote for the Favorite Dish. The Host/Hostess is responsible to follow up with the person in order that the webmaster gets the specific dish list first thing the day of the Potluck.

HOST/HOSTESS - Unless sickness or death, people should follow through with their month or try to switch with another. Go with the flow...Flow through it, Breathe through it !!