There's a very cool article about dining “outside the box” – in this case “outside the house” -- in Thursday’s New York Times. The story, in the HOME section, describes a dinner party a couple of New Yorkers threw recently on the Brooklyn Bridge. Yes, on the Bridge, smack in the middle of pedestrian traffic.
According to the article, the party’s host, Calvin Tsao, considers the annual event – which this year
featured fried chicken, Manchego cheese, French bread and iced tea -- “an act both political and personal, a conscious gesture of civic engagement, and a way to lay claim to a terrific party space.”
The concept of spilling outside into the neighborhood is nothing new to big-city dwellers during the hot, sticky summer months. Beach chairs and card tables, even mattresses and sofas have long been carted outside in an attempt to beat the heat.
But Penelope Green’s article focuses on “expansionist entertainers who are putting a new spin on an old practice, and domesticating public space in ever more elaborate ways.”
Suzanne Seggerman, co-founder of a non-profit group, is one of them. Two or three times each summer she hosts “Chez L’Hydrant” in front of her Bond Street apartment building. She says the evening event involves six or eight friends sharing a one-pot dish such as bouillabaisse and “lots of rose wine.” (She insists the dinner be simple; “risotto would obviously be a disaster.”)
But these novel al fresco affairs do more than just feed the invited guests. Green suggests that they also inspire other neighbors to get creative; and they provide theatrical entertainment to passers-by.
This seems to me a perfect summer to explore the idea of dining outside the box. With economic realities forcing vast numbers of Americans to forego vacations, it’s a good time to “stage” whimsical dinnertime events that will bolster community spirit, create a sense of playfulness and adventure, and, well, make you feel like you’re on vacation.
The scene can be a busy sidewalk or a quiet cul-de-sac, a local pocket park or seaside parking lot, a driveway, empty lot or alleyway. (In New York City, “a rule of reasonableness” governs such activities in public spaces. Check your local street signs for regulations regarding hours and alcohol use.)
You can even create something unique at home by spreading a blanket or setting up a card table in a space where you wouldn’t ordinarily dine. I’m thinking about doing just that in the rickety old potting shed with latticed roof that I just finished painting.
C'mon. I bet you can come up with a new twist on al fresco dining. Please share your ideas with us so I can do a follow-up post.
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