Outsiders' Takes on the Pittsburgh Cookie Table Tradition

In Pittsburgh, attending a wedding reception which does not feature dozens of home made cookies, lovingly laid out and displayed, is an anomalous experience.  We're used to cookie tables the same way we refer to rubber bands as "gumbands" and have no idea that there's no such word as "slippy."  In doing some research for some new wedding packages, I came across a couple of articles in the national (international, if you count Canada), about the curiosity aroused by the tradition of the cookie table, and the anthropological interest by outsiders.

Here is an article from the New York Times circa 2009.

Here is an article from Canada's National Post circa November 2013.

Interesting reading, being examined from the outside!