The Catholic Church basement in St Ignatius…the place where I attended many bingos, which were head and shoulders above anything else I attended church for in terms of fun. The cold hard seats, the old-school cards with the little sliding window to mark your spot, and of course I never remember winning, which is eerily similar to my bingo experiences today 🤷🏽♂️
Happy to be here after a recommendation from your friend Chris. Happy to hear about your flickers too! I'm a 'reformed atheist' and have run a Buddhist temple for 8 years - not at all where I expected to be! For me, spirituality at its best just points us towards the beauty that is already there - in ourselves, in the world - whilst not flinching from acknowledging the suffering... And I do like the sound of those potlucks!!
Found you down a Substack rabbit hole tonight. Beautiful essay, and love your flicker at the end. Church potlucks were the best. We don’t go to church anymore and community potlucks are maybe the one thing I miss for my kids - autonomy & critical thinking are the trade off, but still 😅
This is beautiful. And I suspect those potluck tables laden with food are why I can't abide the tiny plates balanced with unrecognizable "delicacies" that pass as food at most of the functions I often find myself unable to avoid. There is just a solid, stick-to-your-bones vibe to a word like "potluck" that just isn't found in "Hors d'Oeuvres" or "Charcuterie."
I mean, this: "Charcuterie is part of the garde manger chef's repertoire." Pphhhht. I want Grandma's repertoire.
The Catholic Church basement in St Ignatius…the place where I attended many bingos, which were head and shoulders above anything else I attended church for in terms of fun. The cold hard seats, the old-school cards with the little sliding window to mark your spot, and of course I never remember winning, which is eerily similar to my bingo experiences today 🤷🏽♂️
Happy to be here after a recommendation from your friend Chris. Happy to hear about your flickers too! I'm a 'reformed atheist' and have run a Buddhist temple for 8 years - not at all where I expected to be! For me, spirituality at its best just points us towards the beauty that is already there - in ourselves, in the world - whilst not flinching from acknowledging the suffering... And I do like the sound of those potlucks!!
Found you down a Substack rabbit hole tonight. Beautiful essay, and love your flicker at the end. Church potlucks were the best. We don’t go to church anymore and community potlucks are maybe the one thing I miss for my kids - autonomy & critical thinking are the trade off, but still 😅
This is beautiful. And I suspect those potluck tables laden with food are why I can't abide the tiny plates balanced with unrecognizable "delicacies" that pass as food at most of the functions I often find myself unable to avoid. There is just a solid, stick-to-your-bones vibe to a word like "potluck" that just isn't found in "Hors d'Oeuvres" or "Charcuterie."
I mean, this: "Charcuterie is part of the garde manger chef's repertoire." Pphhhht. I want Grandma's repertoire.