7 Guests and Hosts

My name is Tai and I was born in the southern part of China. After receiving a B.A. degree,I taught English in Beijing and later became an interpreter. Now I am in the United States to get a degree in marketing.

When I first came to this country, everything seemed strange and different. For example, people often said hello to each other even if they were strangers. In China, only friends say hello when they meet. But of all the cultural differences, one in particular came as a surprise to me. An American friend invited me to a dinner party at her home. A day before the party, I happened to talk to a Chinese friend. He asked me what food I was bringing to the party. I had no idea what he was talking about. In China, the hosts prepare all the food and drinks—the only thing that the guests bring is their mouths to eat with. My friend explained to me that the dinner party was a potluck.He said that at a potluck dinner party each guest brings food and everybody shares the food.It was lucky that I talked to this friend before the dinner. I had just planned to bring a bottle of liquor, and I would have felt embarrassed. Instead, I made some typical Chinese food for the potluck, and everyone there really liked it.

As I've learned, many dinners in the United States aren't potlucks. They are more like our Chinese dinners. Guests may bring a bottle of wine or a small gift,but the hosts provide the meal.However,I've also come to like the custom of potlucks. Since everyone helps out, potlucks make it easy to have dinner with friends more often. This is especially useful since so many women today work and have less time to cook large meals. By now I've explained this custom to many Chinese friends here. And when I'm invited to a potluck, I always do my best to bring some typical Chinese food.