There's pretty much only one hard, fast rule at most fund-raising events: donate some cash. The Marines, however, don't really play like that. Potential infractions that could be committed at the second annual New York City Marine Corps Council's "Mess Night" benefit on Tuesday evening included "placing elbows on the table," "consulting the time," and "arriving late to appointed places." Should any of the many violations be noticed by the evening's enforcer, "Mister Vice," the Mess president determined an appropriate fine to be paid by the renegade guest. For the uninitaited, the proceedings of a Mess Night can be a tad stressful, but also fun.
A Marine Corps tradition dating back to the 1500s, Mess Nights are events filled with ritual, pageantry, and a lot of good-natured ribbing among comrades and colleagues. Civilians are typically not invited. "Mess Nights are for members of a military unit," said Jeff Carusone, president of the New York Marine Corps Council, explaining that technically, not even spouses should attend a Mess Night. "It's actually forbidden." However, in the name of raising money for the Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation and the National Foundation for Facial Reconstruction, the New York City Marines welcomed a crowd of "mixed company" to the New York Athletic Club to take in camaraderie, humor, and honorary toasts. "We wanted to take a unique event and share that with a New York audience, and use it to raise funds to support military families," said Carusone.
Befitting the hosts, Marines Mess Nights present clear codes of conduct and a strict schedule, and Tuesday's benefit, attended by a sold-out crowd of 350, was no different. Following a program on military time, the evening included a cocktail hour, a bagpipe procession into the dining room, the ceremonial "parading of the beef," a sanctioned restroom break (although "civilian women" could come and go as they pleased), the collective singing of the Marines' Hymn, and much more. Throughout the dinner portion of the night, the Mess's president and vice—Corporal Joe Lisi and Lieutenant Colonel Arthur V. Gorman, Jr., respectively—dutifully called out members of the audience for various offenses, such as not wearing a tie or pairing brown shoes with a black suit, and doled out fines ranging from $10 to $1,500 and beyond. Willing guests with deep pockets are typically seated close to the head table, ready to be nailed.
For the evening's menu, chef Agostino von Hassell recreated the meal served at a 1920 Mess Night dinner in London, attended by Winston Churchill. To prepare dishes such as poularde rotie cocotte a la mascotte, a dollop of salmon mousse with herbs, and the crown jewel of the spread, culotte de Boeuf Imperial, von Hassell resorted to what he referred to as "food archeology" to arrive at what he felt was an authentic representation of the original meal. "It was like investigative reporting," he said.
In addition to the many servicemen and women in uniform, other evidence of the event's military heritage included tables named after wars throughout Marine Corps history, a traditional empty place setting to serve as a reminder of soldiers missing in action, the cutting of cake with swords, and gift bags in the form of ammunition boxes.
Thrilled with the turn out for this year's Mess Night, Carusone is hopeful the event will garner even more attention and donations next year. "I think we have the the causes, we have the venue, and we have the food."
