Strata

ASOR Lives It Up

Learning and Haute Cuisine at Anniversary Celebration

The hundredth anniversary bash for ASOR (the American Schools of Oriental Research, the premiere American society of Near Eastern archaeologists), held in Washington, D.C., over the weekend of April 14–16, 2000, had everything—even some serious scholarly papers. The highlight, however, was a gala reception and banquet held on Friday night in the elegant, crystal-chandeliered rooms of the State Department, arranged under the auspices of Under Secretary of State Thomas Pickering and his wife, Alice, longtime Near Eastern archaeology aficionados and ASOR supporters. Pickering is the only person to have served as United States ambassador to both Jordan and Israel. Guests at the $150-a-plate affair sipped champagne and nibbled gourmet hors-d’oeuvres on a balcony overlooking the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the Capitol and, on the Virginia side of the Potomac, Arlington Cemetery.

The menu at the seated dinner (complete with individual place cards) is too long to print. Suffice it to say it included an “Intermezzo” of “Rose Geranium Sorbet” and a main course that included both “Petit Tournedos with a Ragout of Wild Mushrooms” and “Sautéed Salmon with Black Bean-Shrimp Salsa,” served by waiters well accustomed to French service.