“Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what’s for lunch.” ~Orson Welles
Not sure what Mr. Welles had in mind with his obviously sarcastic comment about country and lunch, but where I come from, there’s more truth than sarcasm in those words.
It could be that this is something done elsewhere—and maybe I should find out—but here in San Antonio, there is a lot of community and care that comes in the form of lunch, or rather, in selling plates of food—which are usually then eaten for lunch. And whether on actual plates (paper plates, that is) or styrofoam to-go food containers, these “plate sales” are one of my favorite hometown traditions.
What are these plate sales all about? Essentially, they are about raising money for a cause. That cause could be the neighborhood high school student council, proceeds to benefit someone’s fight against cancer, a local family’s rough time after a house fire, or even to pay for someone’s funeral expenses. You name the cause, and I bet somewhere in San Antonio, there might be a plate sale raising money for it.
Most plate sales consist of BBQ: two meats (usually chicken and sausage, although sometimes brisket and sausage), rice and beans, bread and a jalapeño, although there are those burger plate sales where you’ll get a nice burger with all the fixings and maybe a bag of potato chips and a pickle. And if someone is really ambitious you may see someone’s mom or grandmother making pots of molé for a nice and warm chicken molé plate. Rice and beans are also the usual sides on those plates, but no matter what’s on the menu you can almost always buy a bottle of water or a can of soda, and even a homemade cupcake or a slice of a donated cake. Good bet that there will be a donation jar on a table somewhere so any passersby who aren’t hungry can donate, too.
Growing up and going to school here, most of us have worked a plate sale or participated in some way. I’ve likely seen thousands of dollars raised for school clubs, local youth sports teams, high school reunions, medical and funeral expenses, college funds for children who may have lost a parent, money for a student to study abroad, scholarship funds named in honor of a veteran lost in war, and probably a lot of other great causes that I don’t even remember or wouldn’t have room to list even if I did.
The fact that I probably can’t remember every plate sale I’ve seen, participated in or supported in some way is one of the reasons these community events are one of my favorite hometown traditions. I love that it’s such a common way for people in San Antonio to come together. Maybe in other cities you’d be wary of eating food made by strangers and being sold in a parking lot or outside a local bar. But not here. It’s such a part of our local culture that it’s not a big deal at all to see a plate sale going on during your Saturday afternoon errand run—and even though you hadn’t planned on it—you stop, buy a plate, and maybe eat it right then and there at a table set up nearby for just that purpose. Not only do you get a great lunch, made with tender loving care, but your appetite helped support a great cause! That’s my idea of a win-win. A food win-win, anyway.
Maybe it’s not really about “what you can do for your country” in as much as it’s about people coming together for something good in the community and doing it over food. My favorite way to come together, after all! Plate sales may not save the country everywhere, but they are a great way to get lunch in San Antonio.
Elda Eats XO
#eldaeats #platesales #sanantonio #sajuniorfalcons
