Comments on: Raising Funds for Relief Society in London, England

By: BruceC

BruceC — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 16:35:20 +0000

green jello, ham, over-boiled green beans, and funeral potatoes

I don’t think any of those were served at any of the ward dinner/pot luck events I have been to in the last year. Somehow, I feel deprived of my rich Mormon heritage.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:22:34 +0000

Mexican — with more or less authenticity — is a favorite in some of the places I’ve lived in the west. Aside from that, I can’t recall anything but generic American food, in large quantities. Hmm. I may do another post drawing on my mother’s collection of foods that could be easily prepared in large quantities, since she was often in charge of ward dinners. (And that menu is not at all limited to green jello, ham, over-boiled green beans, and funeral potatoes! I can’t believe we’ve got this far into a discussion without a mention of those!)

By: BruceC

BruceC — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 14:51:35 +0000

About 200 miles north of me (in southern Indiana) my sisters’ ward does a “pitch-in.” Where I grew up it was called a “pot luck.” There doesn’t appear to be much difference in what people serve; a few casseroles with way to many ingredients and the rest is bought instead of made. Here in Nashville, someone always makes a wonderful barbeque with cole slaw and sometimes okra. In Maryland we had pit beef and crab cakes at our ward dinners. And there are fish frys around the Mississippi delta (the hush puppies sound good). What else is there?

By: Tatiana

Tatiana — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 01:05:38 +0000

Ever since I learned that people in other parts of the country don’t eat hush puppies, I’ve felt very sad for them. I introduced two friends from California to the concept and they both love it! What’s not to love about deep fried cornbread balls with chopped onions mixed in? Everyone should try hush puppies. They’re fun to say and even more fun to eat. =)

The best hush puppies I ever had were at a restaurant called warehouse #1 in Monroe, Louisiana. They bring big baskets of them to the table as soon as you sit down. They were so good they brought tears to our eyes. I think we ate 3 or 4 basketfuls before dinner came. Y’all should all travel there just to taste those hush puppies.

By: Mark Brown

Mark Brown — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 21:47:25 +0000

Catherine,

Two weeks ago I attended an LDS fish fry about 150 miles south on I-59 from Meridian. It was delish – catfish, hush puppies, and really good cole slaw. Our ward also sponsors a crawfish boil in the Spring.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 21:36:29 +0000

Yes, Coffinberry, I’m happy to know that, and I want to drop by.

And YAJ, you point out something about traditions that I think is very important: When we know that something is going to be repeated regularly, we not only look forward to its return, but also look forward to assuming new roles as we grow into them (even if the new role is to step aside and let somebody else do the work — my mother claimed that as a significant role when I started doing the Thanksgiving dinner).

Catherine, sometime we should have a thread devoted to all the different types of ward dinners we have enjoyed. I hadn’t thought of the different regions having different kinds, but fish fries would be hard to pull off in Utah, and I’ll bet there are others I can’t imagine, too.

By: CatherineWO

CatherineWO — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 21:33:54 +0000

My favorite activity at the R.S. bazaar was always the cake walk (or sometimes a cupcake walk), a game akin to musical chairs.

In our ward in Meridian, Mississippi in the mid-70s, the favorite fundraising activity was a big fish fry, complete with hushpuppies. It was truly a cultural experience.

I don’t really miss all the work of these activities, but they were a fun way to bring people together, both member and non-member.

By: Yet Another John

Yet Another John — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 20:39:53 +0000

Bazaars. I haven’t thought of them in years. Thanks for refreshing my memory, not only of this but other things you remind me of, as well.

Fish ponds. I remember not only the thrill of tossing the line over the sheet and waiting to see what I “caught,” but also the anticipation of being being old enough to be on the other side, and help pick the prizes.

By: Coffinberry

Coffinberry — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 19:16:40 +0000

You’ll be happy to know that here the annual stake carnival (held in a city park every August) includes the fish pond, the bean-bag toss, lollipop pull, other old-fashioned games (along with music and magic performers, and the bishopric pie-eating contest). All games and activities (and food: hot-dogs, sno-cones, cotton-candy and a buffet of chips & cookies) are free and open to the public.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:48:42 +0000

It’s unanimous. BRING BACK THE FISHPOND!