More on Potlucks

I mentioned in an earlier post that potlucks are a great way to entertain without busting your budget. Another reason that I like to have them is because so many people nowadays have ridiculous dietary restrictions, which makes it almost impossible to cook a complete meal for a group of people. Now, I'm not complaining about or criticizing people who have medical reasons for restricting their diets (e.g., people with diabetes, celiac disease, or documented food allergies). I'm also not criticizing people who refrain from eating meat or animal products for religious and/or ethical reasons. I'm talking about people who show up and say something like, "Oh, I can't eat anything that isn't orange" or "I'm only eating celery this week." When you ask the person why, it usually turns out to be some stupid, complicated reason based on a fad diet that has no foundation in nutritional science or medicine. If you have friends like that, then a potluck is the ideal solution, because each picky person can bring something he/she can eat.

Funny thing is, I remember a time when people ate just about anything that was offered. If they were allergic, they just didn't eat it and didn't make a big fuss about it. When did Americans become so crazy about food? Any ideas? I'm stumped.