Not a potlatch, not a potluck

September 15, 2010 1:20 PM

I’m looking for a word, in any language, that describes a communal banquet where everyone is allowed to both contribute to the feast, and to take as much or as little sustenance from the banquet as they desire.

The words smorgasbord, potluck, buffet, and closer yet, potlatch are in the ballpark, but are too informal and/or unspecific. I’m trying to come up with a word or name descriptive of a much more ornate and bountiful communal feast.

Names of actual cultural celebrations that not only focus on food but that are also based on teamwork and shared reciprocity would be highly appreciated as well. I’ve exhausted google translation tools/google/wikipedia already- at least to the best of my ability. So far I have come up with Semai, Inati, Unhu, which are cultures or concepts associated with “gift economys” and Lairiat and Veizla, which are communal-style feasts, but are missing the additional element of shared contributions that I’m searching for.

posted by stagewhisper to Writing & Language (13 answers total)

Response by poster: And, since I a was a little quick on the draw, the word does not need to be in English. In fact I'm primarily interested in what would the equivalent of an ornate communal potluck banquet (if such a thing even exists) in other cultures is called. Super special bonus is there is an associated Japanese word.
posted by stagewhisper at 1:26 PM on September 15, 2010

A "Jacob's Join" appears to be a potluck with an added context of subtle charity.
posted by Iridic at 1:27 PM on September 15, 2010

I've heard them referred to as "Stone Soup parties", that being a reference to a folk tale.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 1:27 PM on September 15, 2010

Response by poster: oh god look at the amount of typos in a question about language dies of embarrassment
posted by stagewhisper at 1:31 PM on September 15, 2010

Best answer: Booyah is a type of communal stew feed that is close to what you're looking for.
posted by norm at 1:39 PM on September 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

Best answer: The Oaxacan tradition of guelaguetza may come close to describing the sort of cooperative celebration you're talking about. Guelaguetza in the general sense refers, I believe, to a broader variety of communally executed labor, but is particularly used to describe an exchange system through which major celebrations (saint's days, baptisms, weddings, etc.) that are ostensibly sponsored by a core set of mayodomos or godparents are actually pulled off by calling on exchange networks of debts owed to draw in goods, cash, and labor.

For more information, you'll be better served by Google books, as a plain google web search will be dominated by discussion of the huge commercialized folkloric dance festival that has taken the name of this tradition.
posted by drlith at 1:50 PM on September 15, 2010

A Papua New Guinean moka is a little more nuanced, as only big-men participate in the highest level of exchange, but there is a strong element of shared contributions before the high-level exchange. I have a few articles at home if you're interested.
posted by quadrilaterals at 2:00 PM on September 15, 2010

Response by poster: I liked moka too, quadrilaterals, except that its structures are a bit too top-down patriarchal and less egalitarian than ideal. But that is very close to what I'm searching for. I may still bother you for those articles at some point though, because that may not end up being be a huge issue.
posted by stagewhisper at 2:07 PM on September 15, 2010

This is a potluck. Nothing but a potluck. "As much as you desire" is a silly criterion- what if what I "desire" is to eat everything on the spread? No meal in any language can meet this one, even if it's defined that way. They're all just variations on potluck.
posted by ethnomethodologist at 2:16 PM on September 15, 2010

Not so much the practice, but the meal itself. In Jordan, mansaf (منسف) (literally: explosion) is a massive dish with meat all piled into the rice, served with a kind of sour cream. Everyone sits around eating from the pile using their hands only. It's awesome.
posted by Biru at 2:30 PM on September 15, 2010

Best answer: Dunno if this is something you're looking for, but the Sikh langar is a communal meal prepared by volunteers, and to which any and all persons (Sikh or not) may partake for free. It's also vegetarian so that persons with meat-associated religious restrictions may partake and not have to worry.

Traditionally, everyone is supposed to sit on the ground so that everyone is equal before the divine. Used to be that when the Sikhs had living human gurus, everyone, prince & pauper, had to eat Langar before the Guru would come address the gathering. Here in Northern California it tends to be served after the weekly services at the Gurdwara.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 2:51 PM on September 15, 2010

Response by poster: ethnomethodologist, apologies for the sloppy language. "As much as you desire" was not meant in a completely literal way. I've had friends kicked out of an "all you can eat" buffet for being a bit too literal. Yes, I am looking for variations on potluck. Thank you for your help.
posted by stagewhisper at 2:54 PM on September 15, 2010

maybe stone soup?
posted by kenliu at 7:08 PM on September 15, 2010