Dolci comes out of the closet

Author: Michelle Harvey

In a nice change of scenery, students eating dinner in Proctor on Friday, Feb. 29 were treated to candlelight, good food and blind dates. Put on by the student-run restaurant Dolci, this year's annual Blind Date event had a new twist: participants could request a same-sex date. In the first-ever Gender Neutral Blind Date Dolci, sexuality was not assumed in the application process.

Ready to handle this new development was Ryan Tauriainen '08, co-President of the Middlebury Open Queer Alliance (MOQA). In keeping with the goal of gender-neutrality, Tauriainen took over the logistics of the event.

"In the past, Blind Date Dolci has been somewhat discriminatory in nature as only opposite-sexed couples were admitted," said Tauriainen in an e-mail. "That is where I came in. It proved to be a lot of work. Using suggestions from MOQA, I developed a survey that took into account that not everyone is heterosexual."

For the first time, any student could feel free to participate. "It was wonderful to see how many gay and bisexual students signed up for the event this year," he said. "There was no fear of being denied based on sexuality."

The actual survey that interested students completed covered a range of factors, including gender, age, major, sexual orientation and political affiliation. Tickets were not awarded on a first-come, first serve basis, but rather on the compatibility of couples.

In the end, the success of the 2008 Blind Date Dolci was illustrated by the glowing reports of this year's participants.

"The food was fantastic!" said RJ Adler '11.5. "I would definitely do this again."

"I had a fabulous time," commented Mike Tierney '09.5. "They matched up couples really well and took the process seriously."

The change to a gender-neutral selection process did not affect participation, said head waitress Leslie Lim '10. "This is my second year, and generally we've always had good turnout. I think the change was nice. It was just couples enjoying each other's company."

Diner JJ Janikis '11.5 agreed. "The food was exquisite, the service was so incredible I wish I could have left a tip and the gender-neutral aspect was great," he said. "At most tables there was a gay couple."

The menu for this year's Blind Date Dolci was created by Head Chefs Robert McKay '09 and Sophie Elphick '08. Overseeing a staff of eight student volunteers, putting on a successful dinner was no small feat. Guests had many choices, including a unique walnut-and-fig dip, avocado and grapefruit salad, fresh quail and chocolate cheesecake.

"We wanted something different and unique for the blind date event," said Elphick.

"We added a lot of aphrodisiacs to the menu, lots of figs and ginger spices," added McKay. "We wanted to keep it light."

Many students commented on the intimate setting and nice reprieve from school that Dolci created.

"I think Dolci is an amazing thing for students," said Kate Lupo '10. "It really lets students feel like they've gone out for a nice dinner."

"The smaller, intimate atmosphere was conducive to meeting people," said Natasha Chacon '10. "The whole dinner was fantastic."

The only complaints were directed towards a few participants who stood up their dates. "My date didn't show up and he's dead to me," Michaela Lieberman '10 said. However, she was quick to point out that despite being stood up, "the whole dinner was great."

"The men who stood up their dates need to be punished," added Chacon. "But at the same time, the whole environment let us have fun anyways."

While a lot of planning and work went into the evening, the gender-neutral aspect seemed to fit seamlessly into an enjoyable night out.

"Events like this have been so good for getting people to be open," said Lupo. "I think it should definitely continue in the coming years."