# Bringing Store Brand Chips to Office Potluck, am I a jerk? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 23, 2021, 7:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525 "2021-12-23T07:16:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/101 "2021-12-24T08:42:32Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > If the boss told you to bring chips, you would bring _that_ instead? If I had money issues, I’d ask the boss if I could prepare a dish instead of buying chips. And then I’d cook a potato based dish that would be both tastier and cheaper than store-brand chips. The OP’s problem is that he didn’t want to put forward the effort of making a dish, so he was assigned a dish he didn’t have to cook. And then he went for the cheap option. If he couldn’t be bothered to cook, and he couldn’t be bothered to spend a bit extra on decent chips, then he shouldn’t have bothered to attend the potluck. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > Tell me-Do you dip it into the chip dip a forkfull at a time, or do you spoon it on top of your dish? You serve the dip, often a garlic aioli, on the side; people put a spoonful onto their plates, and then have a small amount with each bite. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/102 "2021-12-24T08:55:15Z")
> [@lobotomyboy63](#): > > Others are happy to contribute but can’t cook. I never minded when they brought a bucket of KFC or something fast food because I can’t make fried chicken (never tried) etc. Hey, even Donald Trump proudly serves fast food to his guests. This headline seems to suggest that he’s made a repeated practice of it. > **[President Donald Trump once again serves fast food to college athletes at...](https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-donald-trump-serves-fast-food-college-athletes/story?id=61460255)** > > Despite receiving strong reactions after serving fast food to the Clemson Tigers, President Donald Trump greeted the North Dakota State athletes with a similar spread. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 8:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/103 "2021-12-24T08:59:09Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > If I had money issues, I’d ask the boss if I could prepare a dish instead of buying chips. And then I’d cook a potato based dish that would be both tastier and cheaper than store-brand chips. Your office parties must be a real blast. “Instead of bringing chips and dip like I was asked to do, I made this fancy potato dish!” “Instead of bringing the paper plates and cups and plastic silverware, _I_ brought my great grandmother’s fine china and her Georg Jensen Scandinavian silverware set” “P’shaw! Instead of putting up party streamers, posters and balloons, I just flew in Cerbelli Creative from New York to decorate the event!” Dude, if your name is on the list to bring potato chips and dip, and you do NOT bring potato chips and dip, you failed. Period. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/104 "2021-12-24T09:15:41Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#): > > That you’d measure the quality of wine in terms of cost is pretty telling. > > I’ll have whatever is good. If you’re drinking the cheap, bottom-shelf, mass-produced stuff, you’re most likely not drinking anything good. Almost all the cost of that bottle was in getting the wine into the bottle and getting the bottle to the store - very little was actually spent on the wine. Take the next step up to a better range and you’ll be drinking a wine with better grapes, better quality control, and a vintner who actually tasted his product. And if you choose to share that nicer bottle with friends, you’ll be showing them you have some regard for them and their tastebuds, rather than trying to get by with the lowest cost option. ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/105 "2021-12-24T09:38:15Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > if your name is on the list to bring potato chips and dip, and you do NOT bring potato chips and dip, you failed. I’ve never been to a pot-luck style meal where people were assigned dishes. Isn’t that what the “luck” is about? Everyone being surprised about how the meal comes together? But I suppose if someone was assigned to bring potato chips, or paper plates, it would be because whoever was coordinating the meal had low expectations for that person. And then to fall below those minimal expectations by bringing in low-quality products - that’s lousy behaviour. Suppose everyone put forward the minimum effort to produce their dishes? That’s not a celebration - that’s a bad cafeteria. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/106 "2021-12-24T09:43:33Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > I’ve never been to a pot-luck style meal where people were assigned dishes. Isn’t that what the “luck” is about? Everyone being surprised about how the meal comes together? But I suppose if someone was assigned to bring potato chips, or paper plates, it would be because whoever was coordinating the meal had low expectations for that person. And then to fall below those minimal expectations by bringing in low-quality products - that’s lousy behaviour. Suppose everyone put forward the minimum effort to produce their dishes? That’s not a celebration - that’s a bad cafeteria. Let me ask you a question: do you eat chips? I mean, do you buy them yourselves and eat them at home? Or are they too working class for you? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/107 "2021-12-24T09:52:47Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > That’s not a celebration - that’s a bad cafeteria. We aren’t talking about a grand soiree, we are talking about a simple office party. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/108 "2021-12-24T10:12:55Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > > [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > > > There’s nothing wrong with a six-dollar bottle of Barefoot Moscato, and that’s about £5. > > This is pretty much my point. Buying Barefoot Moscato for yourself is fine, if you enjoy drinking it. But if a friend invited you over for a nice dinner, and you brought a bottle of wine to the dinner, would you pick a Barefoot Moscato? I do exactly that. I like it. They like it. Nothing else matters. None of my friends are wine snobs. Neither are they food snobs. About the only thing we are super picky about are Pringles. Pringles are their own little class of snack food. They are chips, if not necessarily potato chips, and there is nothing else is quite like a Pringle. Should I mention the Spam sandwiches I once brought to a potluck? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 10:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/109 "2021-12-24T10:28:22Z")
> [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > Should I mention the Spam sandwiches I once brought to a potluck? Did you fry thinly sliced Spam in bacon grease? ---
**Author:** ![Wrenching\_Spanners](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecb155/32.png) [@Wrenching\_Spanners](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wrenching_Spanners)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/110 "2021-12-24T10:32:04Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > We aren’t talking about a grand soiree, we are talking about a simple office party. Most likely, we’re talking about a Christmas lunch that’s also the end-of-the-year gathering. The kind of event where people are expected to put in some extra effort so that everyone has a great time. Presumably most people did that, but the OP decided to go for a mediocre option. What if everyone did that? If the standard for the party was mediocrity, why have a party at all? ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/111 "2021-12-24T10:32:55Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > If you’re drinking the cheap, bottom-shelf, mass-produced stuff, you’re most likely not drinking anything good. Almost all the cost of that bottle was in getting the wine into the bottle and getting the bottle to the store - very little was actually spent on the wine. Take the next step up to a better range and you’ll be drinking a wine with better grapes, better quality control, and a vintner who actually tasted his product. And if you choose to share that nicer bottle with friends, you’ll be showing them you have some regard for them and their tastebuds, rather than trying to get by with the lowest cost option. That’s possibly your most patronising, ill-informed and snobbish post of the thread so far, And that’s against some strong opposition. If you think that spending more means you are getting something that tastes better, [you are demonstrably wrong](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/apr/14/expensive-wine-cheap-plonk-taste). There are loads of blind taste tests that show exactly the same results. People cannot reliably distinguish between cheap and expensive wine. The only way you might fool people into agreeing that something tastes better is by making sure they know how much you’ve paid for it, and why on earth would you do that. Either way, spending more on wine is certainly no guarantee that you are “showing regard for their tastebuds”. Making a song and dance about how much you’ve spent on them makes it more about you than them. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 10:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/112 "2021-12-24T10:52:18Z")
Anyone who looks sideways at either your chips or your dips had better not dip _one_ motherfucking chip. mmm ---
**Author:** ![TRC4941](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trc4941/32/6792_2.png) [@TRC4941](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TRC4941)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/113 "2021-12-24T13:18:12Z")
I didn’t have time to read all 112 replies, so I may be repeating. 1 - I buy Walmart Great Value chips all the time. I buy the regular, plain chips and IMHO they’re better or as good as any other chip (and I know my chips!). For the heck of it one time I bought the nacho cheese GV chips. My husband and I now prefer them to Doritos (Doritos have changed over the years). 2 - I have become kind of squeamish about eating other people’s homemade food unless I know them really well. Since I’m a picky eater, I would probably just fill my plate with your chips. 3 - Chips are a staple at a potluck! I would be disappointed if there were none. You can never go wrong with chips. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/114 "2021-12-24T13:42:54Z")
> [@Wrenching\_Spanners](#): > > Most likely, we’re talking about a Christmas lunch that’s also the end-of-the-year gathering. The kind of event where people are expected to put in some extra effort so that everyone has a great time. Presumably most people did that, but the OP decided to go for a mediocre option. What if everyone did that? If the standard for the party was mediocrity, why have a party at all? Because the great time is supposed to be everyone hanging out and enjoying each other’s company. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/115 "2021-12-24T13:59:18Z")
I always welcome folk bringing chips to office potlucks, b/c there are always plenty leftover. And after I blow off the party, I can hit the break room after and eat chips! (Yeah - I’m THAT guy! :D) ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/116 "2021-12-24T14:01:08Z")
I’ve never been at a party where there were any chips left over. I make sure of that. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/117 "2021-12-24T14:17:15Z")
Me too! Also pot lucks is one of the few times you can have a cool ranch, nacho cheese, and bbq potato all in one magnificent bite! ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/118 "2021-12-24T14:34:36Z")
> [@Grrr](#): > > Also pot lucks is one of the few times you can have a cool ranch, nacho cheese, and bbq potato all in one magnificent bite! And if you are worried about looking like some sort of lowlife scum then merely pop a sprig of parsley on top, voila! instant class. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/119 "2021-12-24T14:37:06Z")
Bringing one tube of Pringles would be jerkish. Bringing several bags of chips is appropriate. There was someone’s spouse at one of my jobs who, for spousal gatherings, would bring one small plastic container (about a cup) of some sort of salad or beans or something that was supposed to feed 20 people. Then she’d eat a couple of heaping plates full of everything else. And then pick up the large bowl of chips and walk around with it, noshing away. Disturbing behavior. ---
**Author:** ![GreysonCarlisle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a87d85/32.png) [@GreysonCarlisle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GreysonCarlisle)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2021, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525/120 "2021-12-24T17:35:53Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > > [@GreysonCarlisle](#): > > > > Should I mention the Spam sandwiches I once brought to a potluck? > > Did you fry thinly sliced Spam in bacon grease? Can’t swear to the bacon grease, but yeah, probably. Likely had slices of some kind of processed cheese food layered on it as well. I know that they were cut into finger sandwiches with a pizza cutter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bringing-store-brand-chips-to-office-potluck-am-i-a-jerk/956525.md?page=7)