Scrambles
The term "scrambles" is a
midwestern name for a potluck. From The Dictionary of American
Regional English: scramble dinner n Also scramble (supper)[Cf OED2
scrambling ppl. a.1."applied to a meal at which the partakers help
themselves to what they can get"; 1607->]esp nIL A potluck supper.1968
DARE File cnIL, Scramble: A pot-luck supper. 1972 Eve. Telegraph (Dixon
IL) 29 Apr 4/8, A scramble dinner is planned by the Dixon Travel Club
for 6:30 p.m., and members are asked to provide food and table
service. 1972 NYT Article Letters cnIL, Only in Dixon, Ill., my home
town, is a potluck or pitch-in dinner or supper referred to as a
scramble dinner or supper. True for 50 years that I know of. 1972 DARE
File neIL, I could not find an example of scramble supper, but it is
common, too. I can recall the scramble usages for more than fifty
years. 2001 Ibid cnIL, Potluck. In my family, we refer to it as a
'scramble dinner' (or supper) depending on the time of day the meal is
served. We have used this term since I can remember (40 to 50 years). Ibid
neIL, I have often heard potluck dinners referred to as "scrambles," by
my Girl Scout troop leader.
The name is appropriate for our Scrambles at Aptos UMC because most
meetings of the Scrambles groups include a potluck dinner or lunch.
Additionally, each fall people are invited to join Scrambles groups, and
the members are scrambled around so that each year the groups are made
of mostly new members.
Each Scramble group has a leader or
coordinator who helps arrange for the regular meetings of the group.
Most groups are made up of 8-12 adults, some are couples, some are
singles. The groups gather at homes or restaurants to enjoy a meal
together and to get to know each other socially.