Not a technique but the format that connects every casserole, every deviled egg, every baked bean, and every banana pudding in this database. The communal meal where every attendee brings a dish: the Midwestern hot dish, the Southern mac and cheese, the Jewish brisket, the Italian-American baked ziti. The potluck is America's communal table — the format that feeds communities during celebration, grief, and the ordinary Wednesday night when the church hall is open and nobody wants to eat alone.