www.tuckerandtucker.com 636 US Route 1, Second Floor, Scarborough, ME 207-885-0059 | info@tuckerandtucker.com Are You Ready To Live The Automated Life? f e B r u A r y / m A r C h 2 0 1 9 3 5 I’m transported back to the Southwest. And Rachael and Seth Harkness have made a luscious chicken dish with oranges and fen- nel from an Ottolenghi cookbook. “You can actually eat the oranges,” Rachael says proudly. And I do—more vitamin C. in F LL s ing A couple of hours in, I find myself on a chair in my own living room with my second plateful of food, talking to a few friends between bites. Our dog, Angus, cir- culates among the crowd, trolling for free- bies and dropped bits. Brendan’s in the kitchen, wrestling to open the last oyster, a gigantic Pandora’s Box of a monster, and talking to another group of friends. Over the animated discussion of recipes and de- cision making, I get the sense that we’re all satisfied, except for the usual heart- felt complaints about parking on the West End. The thing about a potluck, I real- ize as I fork another delicious bite into my mouth, is that people tend to bring their A-game. There’s an element of competitive derring-do. No one wants to look bad. You want your dish to be popular. As the night winds down, Desi turns on the oven and puts her dessert in to warm— a Panettone Eggnog Bread Pudding. Por- tions are distributed. Bites are taken. Eye- lids flutter and groans of joy are heard. It’s that good. Another rule of thumb for throwing a potluck is that everyone takes home what they brought. After the last guest departs around midnight, all we have to do is stack the disposable dishes in the recycling bin, shake out the tablecloths, put away our own leftovers, and move all the furniture back to the proper spots. We awaken the next morning to a clean house and a full fridge, with the happy glow of a successful party, along with the con- viction that it’s time for potlucks to enjoy a new heyday. We’re going to throw anoth- er one this summer, we decide over leftover Hoppin’ John with a fried egg on top and a hearty sprinkling of Frank’s. We’re already wondering what everyone will bring. ■ Kate hristensenistheauthorsevennovels,includingThe GreatMan,whichwonthe 00 N aulkner wardfor fiction,andTheLastCruise. he’swrittentwofood-centric memoirs,BluePlateSpecialandHowtoCookaMoose,which wonthe 0 Maine iterary wardforMemoir. helives withherhusbandin ortland.