instruction: What are the most popular dishes to bring to a potluck?
response: Since potlucks are designed to scale out the food preparation efforts while providing a diverse menu, items that are easy to prepare in large quantities and that appeal to a lot of different people are most commonly brought. For example, meatballs are relatively inexpensive, widely enjoyed, and easy to be kept warm in crockpot. Items like chicken wings are popular for many of the same reasons. Salads are also a good choice because they don not need to be kept hot. Items that require immediate serving are typically avoided because the dishes need to be prepared, then travel to the locality of the event, and as such create logistical and quality problems. Other items are ones that people typically take pride in, like chili, or ethnic staples that expose people to new tastes and cultures.