Gluten-free, vegetarian, what have you…
If you’re at a potluck or other buffet type meal, and your diet is not limited, do you partake of the limited diet specific food (assuming it’s labeled as such)? Will you try just a nibble out of curiosity or help yourself to a full serving?
Poll to come, and I’ll elaborate on my answer once we’ve got the ball rolling.
I would take a nibble or a single bite, mostly so I could see what my dietary-restricted friends are talking about. Also, unless I think something is going to be super-spicy, I like trying new things.
Only if a) the people it was made for have already had some, and b) it looks remotely tasty. I’m not going to dig in unreservedly, but I’ll at least taste it, if for no other reason than to have a basis for mocking it.
Why mock it?
I voted that I’ll leave it for persons who must have it, as acting otherwise seems dickish. If it’s late in the event and there’s still some left, I may take a taste to see what it’s like.
If it’s a variation of a standard dish to meet some restriction, I’ll skip it. If it’s a perfectly normal dish that just happens to meet some restriction and is labeled as such so those with the restriction can have it, I’ll take some if it’s something I like.
So gluten free bakery products? Leave it alone.
Vegetarian stir fry? Sure, I’ll eat it.
Yeah, I’d try a helping as much as I would any other dish (as log as there’s enough for those whose diets are restricted). I’ve eaten all sorts of different ethnic foods too that I normally don’t get exposed to. It’s not like I’m going to avoid the Sri Lankan dish because only Sri Lankans are supposed to eat it. It was brought to be shared.
If there’s a vegetarian there saying “Hey guys, save some XYZ for me”, certainly I’d respect his wishes.
But I wouldn’t refuse to eat crudites on the off chance that someone in the room is a vegetarian.
I’d say the onus is on the host to indicate that there’s someone at the party who can only eat X, Y and Z. At that point, I would probably leave those alone until the guest has had his fill.
Ok, being myself, I had to pick the “other” option, even in my own poll! 
Like most of you, I’d make sure the dietary restricted people had a shot at the specialty food. I generally do that by waiting until everyone’s been through the line once. Then I feel free to take as much or as little of anything left as I like. I like trying new things, and I’ve sometimes been surprised at how tasty something I couldn’t believe would be edible actually was. (With the exception of vegan baked goods. Sorry, but that stuff is nasty to my taste buds, although I keep trying it to see if there’s finally a good one.)
I wouldn’t leave it all because, as the one usually bringing the gluten free option (for my daughter), I actually *hope *that everyone will try some. It helps to raise awareness of gluten intolerance and teach people that gluten free doesn’t have to mean nothing but rice and salad or bread like a brick. I hope that means that next time people will consider bringing their own gluten free contributions, making the options for the intolerant even greater!
I will try just about anything I am not actually allergic/sensitive to or already know I dislike at least once, otherwise how would I know I don’t like something? The great thing about pot lucks is you can get away with taking a tiny dab of something =) You don’t have to take a whole portion and waste any f it turns out you dont actually like something, and you can generally go back for a full portion if you do like it [and generally score a recipe or source for it]
Good grief, what’s dickish about getting some food at a friggin’ potluck?!? That’s what it’s there for - to be eaten!
I’m the only “No, that stuff is nasty” vote so far. I’m mostly carnivorous, with a sweet tooth. Meat, taters, beans, peas, and pretty much anything chocolate. Most of that specialty stuff wouldn’t even register as potentially edible on my radar.
Because people that need the specialty stuff can’t eat everything else. I can. It’s not fair for me to take his only option, particularly if there’s a limited supply.
If it was something that looked good and there was plenty, I’d take a bite just to try it.
If I liked it, once I was sure all the specialty-requiring peeps had had their fill, I might get more.
Let’s say I’m having dinner for myself and my family. I’m the only diabetic, so I make a small portion of low-carb-but-tasty fudge in addition to the regular fudge I make for everybody else and label it as such. If somebody eats the low-carb fudge, ignoring my request and the label, they have denied me the opportunity to have the fudge for no good reason.
Dickish.
Sure, but that’s a totally different scenario. This is a potluck, a culinary phenomenon at which people bring food to share. It’s not specially labeled with someone’s name on it, although it may (for the sake of the hypothetical) be conveniently labeled “vegan” or “no flying monkey brains” or something equally elucidating.
I’m funny that way about other people’s home-made food at potlucks. I will take prepared food (cold cuts, roll, chips, pickles) and if pressed, I will take a spoonful of someone’s home-made potato salad, baked ziti, or ambrosia salad. But only if pressed, and only if they’re watching. Otherwise, your gluten-free entree/Sri Lankan bat wings/Sara’s macaroni salad made with vinegar, sugar, and sweetened condensed milk - more for you, none for me thanks.
(my bolding) - Well of course you’d skip that - you left out the jar of mayo!
Way I figure it, people bring food to potlucks to be shared, not to be hoarded. I’m always smug as shit if my dish comes home empty from the potluck, and vaguely ashamed if there’s still food in it, and I figure other folks feel the same way, so if there’s something tasty, I’ll make no bones about taking a big serving.
If someone brings something to a potluck and intends for it to be eaten only by a subset of the people there, they’re kind of breaking the spirit of the potluck. No worries, I’m not the sort of uptight asshole who gets bent out of shape about the spirit of the event, but I do figure the onus is on them to let me know about their intentions, and if they don’t, I’m not going to worry about it.
That said, common sense does enter into it. Sometimes an event is hybrid: a cookout potluck, for example, often has communal dishes plus the host providing grilling items, and in that case of course I’m not going to take one of the limited number of veggie dogs.
I would assume that the specialty dish was brought by the person/family unit that requires said specialty. I would further assume that they brought enough that they would get to eat it and let other people try, otherwise they aren’t doing potluck right. So, I would wait to see them take what they need, and then try it if it looks good.
If I were hosting some buffet thing (doing all the cooking), I would set aside enough of the item to feed the special people…it would make me feel terrible if I had a guest go hungry. As a matter of fact, I have a vegan co-worker. Every time that I make something vegan, I bring her some. She gets first pass before it gets set out because she rarely gets to eat the “water cooler food”.
WhyNot, if you want to try a delicious vegan baked good, check out the cookbook Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. Certified meat eaters go into raptures over these cupcakes. There are also gluten free options in there, I think, so you might really see something you like.
I’d probably take a nibble, but I agree that a dish on a potluck should be enough to serve everyone there, not just a single serving for one person who can’t eat the other stuff. If you want to bring a tiny little bit of special food, just go eat it by yourself.