52 Tables in One Day
After a very hurried morning, I found myself rushing out the door to meet up with my two fellow gastronomes, aka Mom and Dad aka Jo and Don.
It would be easy to entitle today’s table as “An Exercise in Controlled Chaos.” But I digress and won’t. Technically, there really was 52 Tables, just not all of them being tables at which to eat. 30 local restaurants participated in this year’s Empty Bowls event.
We have been planning this table for several weeks, as reservations are prerequisite in attending. This table was sold out by February 12. Not only was this event sold out, it set a new attendance record, of over 1500 tickets sold. Obviously this annual event is well attended, sells out quickly, and is supported magnanimously by its community. Empty Bowls was conceived years ago as a way to support the Tarrant Area Food Bank. When you attend this event, you are treated to a sampling of dishes from local area restaurants and you get to walk away with a special bowl donated to the event by local artisans. The overwhelming support of this community is evidenced when attending this annual event.
Arriving at this table, we were greeted by a warm, smiling face who was handing out green, re-usable grocery bags donated by Safeway. Inside we found the ‘menu’ of participating restaurants and a long list of lovingly donated bowls. Approaching the tables full of colorful, hand-crafted bowls, Jo immediately noticed bowls that had been donated by her china painting club. It was no surprise when we all finally got back to our table, that she had chosen a bowl painted by a fellow china painter. The works on display were a true sight to behold. I was immediately drawn to a simple bowl, crafted by “KS” (TCC South Ceramics). Don returned with a delightful, sunny flower bowl.
“Many bowls from the Fort Worth Porcelain Art Club were also included from a previous charity luncheon.” -Jo
Sitting across from us were Sabrina and Kim, who drove in from Keller. Kim picked out a neatly turned wooden bowl. What I found intriguing about her bowl, was the artist has inscribed on the bottom “Empty Bowls 2010” and signed it. Sabrina purchased a wonderful large bowl-platter. She told us it would adorn her ‘island’ with fruits and remind her of this memorable day. It is now an official ‘commemorative’ bowl, complete with instant history and a story. Truth be known, I wouldn’t mind having that bowl… it was very, very cool. Like us, this was the first time Kim and Sabrina had attended the Empty Bowl event.
It was amazing how this room of 1500+ people were mingling so well, smiling all the while. It was something that even caught Dad’s attention. He told me, “When you encounter someone face-to-face, they’re smiling. Just proves when you have food in your stomach, you’re happy.” I think Dad’s comment captures the essence of this event: “[It’s] An Artful Luncheon to End Hunger.” I wonder how many families will benefit as result of today’s effort? Hopefully they will be able to smile, too.
To be continued…
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