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We've spent some time on this blog talking about how much fun you can have via the meetup.com web site. If you search that site, you can probably find raw food meetups near you!? But, a few readers have asked us some follow-ups, such as What should I bring and What should I do if I'd like to host a raw foods meetup

*Attending* Raw Foods Meetups

Okay, so you signed up for a raw foods meetup group, waited patiently for the next event to come round, and now it's time!? But, wait... this is your first such outing. What should you bring

Well, one of the really great aspects of raw food meetups is that they're really not very rules-oriented. There's no right or wrong kind of raw food to bring. I mean, sure, it would be an awkward faux pas to bring a few bags of Dorito's. But, as long as whatever you're bringing is in fact raw, you should be okay. Here are a few suggested guidelines (again, these are only suggestions, not rules per se):

  • You don't have to make anything elaborate. Sure, many people do -- and that's great! But, let's not lose sight of the fact that a big bag of apples or something comparably similar is generally looked upon as absolutely wonderful by raw foodies.Fruit salads and regular lettuce/veggie salads are two more very simple, very welcome dishes! Also remember that your contribution doesn't necessarily have to be a main dish. You might also bring a side dish (e.g., raw chips and a dip), a smoothie, a raw dessert recipe, a pitcher of fresh juice, a bag of nuts -- anything raw!? Personally, we do usually like to make something a little more involved prep-wise. But, this isn't meant to reflect the way that we eat every day; it's more of just one way in which we choose to honor the celebration aspect of these gatherings. But, again, simple is just as welcome as gourmet.
  • Some have asked us: How much food should I bring ? Well, that depends on the meetup. Sometimes, the organizers will send suggestions. Other times, you're on your own. I would imagine that common courtesy would dictate that you bring at least as much food as you would eat -- and probably a little more. But, it's usually best (in my opinion) to get a feel for the number of people attending, and then make /buy / bring enough food so that everyone there can have at least a taste of your creation.

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  • It's probably optimal to stick with a vegan dish, as your creation will likely enjoy a wider audience. But, quite commonly, we do see "beegan" dishes (i.e., those using honey and/or other bee products -- such as the absolutely delicious chocolate mousse pie served by our friend Tracey last week at our friend Joe's birthday party). At many raw potlucks, people bring along little recipe cards to place next to their dish so that others can see what's inside. I think this is a nice touch. :-) ? (We should probably do this and encourage those labels a bit more than we actually do, as they are helpful. Also helpful, if you do cards, is to label what ingredients are organic, as eating organic vs/ "conventional" is actually a pretty important issue for many health-conscious individuals.) At others, I've often participated in little impromptu sessions of standing around the food and each person taking a turn describing what's inside.

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  • Personally, I've never attended a raw potluck to which attendees brought wine, raw diary products, or raw meat products (all of which are consumed by some raw foodists). But, that's not to say it doesn't happen. I guess my raw "potlucking" experience is just limited to Pittsburgh. But, again, we do see dishes containing bee products quite commonly, and we do also tend to drink tea in these parts (which some raw foodies do not drink).

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  • If you're at a loss as to what dish to make, start surfing the Internet. Want to hear an awesome story ? About a year ago, we held a meetup in our home (one of many, many we've hosted), and were talking to our then-new friend Mark. We asked, "Where'd you get the recipe for your dish "? He replied, "Oh, I found this amazing raw foods recipe resource online called the All Raw Directory!"? He didn't know that Pure Jeevan had created that site (which, again, is really super as a starting point for raw meetups -- thanks in great part to our friend Modern Jane, who is the moderator for the raw recipes section)!

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  • Most of all, just bring your smile. Really, that's what it's all about, anyway.

Tomorrow's Topic:? *Hosting* Raw Foods Meetups

>>> We'll pick this conversation up again tomorrow with some tips on hosting raw meetups!

Original Comments

Below, we have included the original comments from this blog post. Additional comments may be made via Facebook, below.

On January 19, 2010, April wrote:

Wow! Serendipity at it's finest! Just yesterday I received my confirmation email from meetup.com that my group has been announced and I already have one member. Central PA Let's Eat RAW is the name of the group. I look forward to today's post on 'how to host a meetup' Thanks and many Blessings!

On January 19, 2010, jprostko wrote:

I do wonder if some day somebody will show up at a raw food meetup I'm attending with a raw piece of meat. I guess the whole "raw food" label has always kind of bugged me, since it's so generic. All it specifies for sure is that food must be raw...not what kind of food it is.

I personally always make my food for meetups be raw vegan, even staying away from the "beegan" realm that encompasses my actual eating habits. I always felt that was the spirit of the rawlucks, even if no explicit rules are set by the "raw food" descriptor.

Sometimes I wonder if the name should be a bit more specific about what is expected...like specifying if it should be raw vegan, or raw vegan with bee products, or raw vegetarian, or raw anything.

Cool writeup, as it got me to thinking about the whole "raw food" description again. The writeup definitely would have come in handy before I showed up at my first meetup as well. As you recall, I showed up with some cacao pods, and wasn't at all sure that was appropriate or not until I was reassured upon arriving that it was fine.

On January 19, 2010, Jim Dee wrote:

I can't remember what Wendi and I brought to our first meetup. Fortunately for you, you stumbled across the "Universal Cacao Rule" which is, of course: *You can never go wrong with cacao.* And, obviously, that goes for ALL forms of raw cacao, from the pod to any dessert containing it.

On January 19, 2010, jprostko wrote:

Ah yes, the "Universal Cacao Rule"...how could I forget? ;)

On January 19, 2010, bitt wrote:

for those who are scared, you can always come with a salad with dressing on the side or a bowl of fresh fruit. we have a lot of fruitarians at our potlucks in seattle who love the fruit.

i have been to raw events with wine! it was a vegan event with a lot of raw vegan folks so it was fine.

On January 20, 2010, aprilmyers wrote:

Wow! Serendipity at it's finest! Just yesterday, Meetup.com wrote me to tell me that they have just posted my new meetup group! Looking forward to reading the 'tips on how host a meetup'!

On January 20, 2010, lunamama wrote:

For my new meetup, I encourage anyone who is interested in a raw foods lifestyle to join, but noted that they do not have to be raw to join. I did however make it very clear that all potlucks would be raw vegan. I am so excited to be doing this and would love to hear from anyone about their first experience hosting a raw meetup

On January 21, 2010, Jim Dee wrote:

I always love just fruit. I'm not a fruitarian, but I think I could be! I don't think anyone's ever brought wine to one around here, but I know that a lot of people drink it. The media tends to give a lot of coverage to the benefits of alcohol consumption, but I'm not sold on it. Nor am I dead against it. In moderation, some wine probably isn't so bad for you, and maybe does some good. But, I figure I get those nutrients from the grapes I tend to eat all during the fall.

On January 21, 2010, Jim Dee wrote:

Cool, I hope there were some great ideas here for you!

On January 21, 2010, Jim Dee wrote:

Another great point -- to encourage anyone and everyone to join in and sample the goodies. We get that a lot & those new to raw usually seem to love the food. :-)

On January 21, 2010, bitt wrote:

i love fruit too but can't eat only fruit, it doesn't seem to work for my body.

i definitely don't drink wine but it's nice to have events with vegans and raw foodies to mix things up.