Pandemic shutdown may have ended for you ages ago. For her, it ended this month
Our self-imposed social isolation is over: My roommate son and I finally waded into our first big community event, post-pandemic shutdown and with viruses still relatively rampant.
I’ll leave it up to you to decide if we’ve been super cautious all this time or just plain lazy.
For weeks, Brian had been nagging me, saying, “Mom, we have to get out among people again!”
So we went and, yes, had a really good time, attending the Rotary Club of Cambria Foundation’s Nov. 7 “Taste of Cambria” event.
It was the epitome of a Central California fundraiser, held inside Sea Chest Oyster Bar and on the restaurant’s ocean-view parking lot from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
We got there a bit early, just in time to watch the sun set into the sea. Meanwhile, bunches of people were streaming up the hill.
Rotary had sold about 200 tickets at $50 each, raising money to refurbish the club’s gazebo bandstand at Shamel Park and to donate to various youth programs.
The evening weather was chilly and quite breezy. That’s not unusual for San Luis Obispo County in November, so most people had dressed accordingly.
Wisely, we quickly staked out a small table inside, next to a window that overlooked the goings-on outside.
We saw lots more happy folks pouring into the event as organizers and volunteers handed others their plates, glasses for wine tasting and bottles of water.
As participants waded into the scrimmage around the food tables, we wandered around a bit, chatting with dozens of people we knew and some we didn’t.
How did it feel to be there?
After we’d been sheltering mostly out of the social loop for so long, it did seem a tad strange to be out and about like that. Alien, almost. Like being in a familiar foreign land in which we knew the language and people but hadn’t visited in a long, long time.
Plus, we former professional caterers were on the outside looking in, so to speak, and were really wistful about wanting to be in the middle of it all, helping.
Instead, we watched as Rotarians and others rushed about to make sure everything was happening when, where and how it was supposed to.
They were coordinating 15 restaurants providing food samples, plus three wineries and a supermarket pouring tastes for hungry attendees, all under less-than-ideal serving circumstances.
It’s far from easy. Paraphrasing a quote from classic movie star Ginger Rogers, it’s like “tapdancing backwards in heels” … but also in the dark and on a hill.
Rotarians and their Interact Club high school volunteers obviously knew how to dance.
Club president Bob Kasper, club members, volunteers and participating vendors did well, as they always do in Cambria. So did entertainer Bob Benjamin and the Sea Chest.
Some situations were outside Rotarians’ control
From what I could tell, most attendees were happy locals or regular visitors from all over Central California. They seemed accustomed (and resigned) to the weather and dealing with Cambria’s less-than-optimal parking situations, which forced cars to wedge into spots along about ¾ mile of Moonstone Beach Drive.
There was another challenge for some attendees, those with dietary restrictions. These days, it’s a common concern at that sort of event.
Restaurateurs providing food for free to fundraisers have to use recipes that represent their cuisine, aren’t hugely expensive, taste good, hold up well throughout the event and are safe to eat hot or at room temperature (or, in this case, parking-lot temperature).
It’s tough to find tasty nibbles and dishes that fit those parameters, let alone accommodate diners who are on restrictive diets.
(As caterers on movie sets decades ago, we did that by preparing at least one vegetarian or vegan main dish, as required by contract, alongside a complimentary dish, such as veggie pasta with meatballs, sausages or meat sauce that could be ladled over the top.)
Then imagine how helpful it would be at fundraisers if all participating providers posted small signs identifying what they’re serving (some of them did that night), also indicating if the dish fits into any of those dietary restrictions.
Since most business owners use these events to promote their restaurants, they also could have brought information about their eateries and copies of their menus to hand out.
What’s next?
It’s decision time again. Having gotten our feet wet, rhetorically speaking, will Brian and I go out to another big community event anytime soon?
Probably, unless they sound too overwhelming. No Taylor Swift or Ed Sheeran concerts, please. About 200 people is one thing; 70,000 rabid fans is an entirely different animal.
Thank you, Rotary, for our first fun foray out. After our long dry spell, it was such a delight to be among friends, acquaintances and even strangers again.
This story was originally published November 10, 2023 at 5:00 AM.
