Feast Of The Senses

At dusk on an October evening, guests to the Spring Green Dojo entered a large white tent dappled with twinkle lights. They’d just toasted the night, A Feast Of The Senses, and heard the evening taiko drum. Before they took their seats, guests drew a number, 1-21, from a wooden bowl and matched it to a numbered chair. 

“As you sit down to dinner tonight, next to unmet friends, remember this is Feast of the Senses. Don’t ask, ‘Where do you work?’ Ask instead, ‘When was your last feast of the senses?’”

Small servings of Agedashi Tofu, Hot and Sour Soup, and Lime Corn Chawan were served, each paired with a different sake. The familiar silence of first bites rippled across the tent, quickly followed by warm smiles and murmurs of delight.

The tent’s volume rose as guests recalled moving musical concerts and sweet moments of a child’s performance. Several mentioned memorable meals - other feasts of the palate - as guests dipped into Grilled Daikon and Turnips with Miso Sauce followed by Roasted Seasonal Vegetables.

Soon a phone was passed - first from person to person, then migrating from table to table. On it, an action shot of one of the guests twirling professionally - skirt swirling, arm pointed skyward - as she competed in a “Dancing with the Stars” fundraiser. 

Feasts of the senses aren’t always sit-back-and-enjoy affairs. We can create them for others.

Coconut Miso Salmon Curry and an Autumnal Mixed Green Salad were the final courses before guests rose from their seats to walk the short path to the dojo, lit by torches. Inside, guests were greeted by the warmth of a wood stove and four musicians seated in a circle. The last person to arrive, Chef Pat Greene in her white chef’s jacket, aroused the evening’s first standing ovation, a jubilant expression of gratitude for eight courses of grace.

The evening’s musical performance was in four movements, a carefully considered program from Estonian composer Arvo Pärt, chosen by violinist Vinicius Sant’Ana based on his understanding of Zen: its repetition; its continuous cycles; and students’ commitment to finding something fresh in each turn of the wheel.

The string quartet roused the second ovation of the night and guests and musicians mingled while enjoying one final, sweet note: French pastries.

Feast of the Senses: relationships that were heard, food that was felt, and music that was alchemy.