When I waltzed into the Schwartz on Wednesday night?late as always?the cavalcade of stimuli nearly overwhelmed my senses in the greatest way. The heat of the day had dissipated, but inside it felt like a swanky New York restaurant.
Diners sat in dimmed light with candles to brighten their meals while a jazz band stood below our polar bear mascot, mixing standard favorites and new work. Meanwhile, voices and the clink of utensils matched the band with a muted crescendo that created both a sense of intimacy and dignity. From the shadows, waiters whisked away salad plates, smiling genuinely at their distinguished customers while offering them their choice of entree.
And the smells. My nostrils could pick out grilled chicken, quiche, and a baked mushroom chicken dish. The coup de grace was a simmering soup, rich with basically an entire garden as though the chef had picked the beans and corn that afternoon and added them, glistening and green, to the freshly made vegetable stock.
I blinked a couple times and searched the room, half expecting to see Julia Child back from beyond her grave, puttering around her kitchen and talking wildly about the importance of thyme and rosemary. Instead, I adjusted my eyes and made a quick leap from Marcusland to reality. It was the BOC's Bowls for Peace dinner to support Two Roads, a non-profit that helps victims of trauma recover through a connection with the outdoors. I walked into the kitchen, where organizers Peter Schoene '05 and Holly Kingsbury '07 directed traffic for the myriad volunteer waiters. Executive chef Laura Jefferis '05 ladled soup into signature bowls from the kilns of Maya Jaafar '07 and Dan McGrath '06.
The Outing Club has made an effort in recent years to become more of a community-based organization; we still have an endless supply and variety of trips, that much is certain. However, during my four years at Bowdoin, the BOC has become more than just an outdoor club.
Indeed, at the risk of sounding like a nostalgic senior, the Outing Club has matured into a multi-functional, multi-purpose community club.
At the Bowls for Peace dinner, for example, our humble building not only became Chez Schwartz, but also served as the vehicle for a tribute to local citizen David Hyde, who started Two Roads to help others who, like him, have survived life-threatening illnesses. Last week, the Outing Club helped sponsor Common Hour speaker Terry Tempest Williams, drawing a diverse and receptive audience from across the College and the Brunswick community.
This evening, thanks to resonating enthusiasm and spirit from across the campus, we're co-sponsoring, with Anokha, a springtime contra dance. But we also continue BOC traditions this weekend, sending out a service and ecology trip on Saturday as part of Earth Week festivities!
I guess when it all boils down, I really am becoming a nostalgic senior. But when a week in the Outing Club ranges from gourmet food, music, and dancing to getting out in nature, I hope you'll forgive this outpouring of sentiment and just embrace it all.