A creator went viral after maligning the idea of attending a company potluck at his job.
Cory Wayne (@theonlycorywayne) says in the clip that potlucks are “white people shit” and suggests that he’s not interested in trying out the “creative” ways others make dishes as he eats from what appears to be a container of microwavable macaroni and cheese.
He says in the video: “They’re doing a potluck at work today. And they were like ‘Cory what’re you bringing?’ and I was like ‘Oh I’m bringing my ass to my car and eating my macaroni.’ That’s some white people shit I’m sorry everybody’s so creative. No thank you I’m not doing that.”
@theonlycorywayne Shout-out to the legendary @tanaradoublechocolate but even before tiktok, I'm particular about the origin story of my food! #foryou #foryoupage #comedy #laugh #smile #inspiration #motivation #FindYourEdge #factsaboutme #truestory #share #periodt #DidYouYawn #lunchtime #relatable #SeeHerGreatness ♬ original sound – TheOnlyCoryWayne
A viewer who saw his video was surprised to hear Cory use the term “white people shit” because he appears to be white himself. Cory stated in a follow-up clip that it’s a term he likes to use because “trailer park trash” has become a pejorative phrase that is no longer considered politically correct: “Absolutely we say that. We say that all the time actually because we aren’t allowed to say that’s fucking trailer trash anymore because that’s not politically correct OK but who the fuck puts mayonnaise in ambrosia salad a goddamn criminal named Amber.”
Many commenters who saw Cory’s posts agreed with his assessment of potluck meals: “The correct pronunciation for potluck is nope,” one TikTok user said.
Others’ dislike of potluck-style meals appeared to stem from the fact that they were unsure of the manner in which their coworkers’ food was being prepared: “Meanwhile, Karen brought a casserole from her house that has her 6 cats.” One user echoed this sentiment by writing: “You don’t see people’s kitchens. It could be scary AF. Nooope.”
Another joked, “So you don’t like your food differently different?” to which he responded, “Not on purpose.”
Someone else suggested that potluck-style dinners are probably best had with folks one knows a bit more intimately: “I’ll do a potluck with close friends, but not with co-workers.”
Judging from forum posts on other websites online, there are a number of other people who feel the same way that Cory does. A user on the site Quora asked: “My co-workers are offended because I will not participate in potlucks. I don’t eat from other people. Am I being irrational?”
While there were some who responded to the Quora poster that the manner in which they told their co-workers was offensive, and they should’ve made some other excuse as to why they didn’t want to eat at the potluck that didn’t include intimating they didn’t approve of the way others prepared their food, there were some who thought otherwise: “NO, you’re not being irrational. What’s irrational is expecting someone to participate in something they are clearly uncomfortable with. I understand the mistrust of potlucks. You never know who is letting their pets roam free in or above their kitchen, who is ‘cleaning’ food in a sink they never clean, who took a poo and never washed their hands before cooking, and the list goes on.”
The Daily Dot has reached out to Cory via TikTok comment for further information.