First LSS BBQ was ‘Good’

Tessa Sidnam
Volume 3, Issue 3, (Originally Published on Monday 18th March 2013)
 
Last issue, De Minimis relayed the overall success of the LSS camp food. Until camp, it had been unfathomable that any law school-related food could match that of a Michelin dining experience. Wednesday’s first LSS barbeque of the year was proof again that Melbourne Law School is establishing itself as a trailblazer in the law school food industry.
 
What is an LSS BBQ? Last year, the New Yorker ran an article on the growing underground food movement. The article was premised on the rise of young, undercapitalized food-fanatics hosting dinners to share their gastronomic experimentation and create a food experience for the diners. LSS BBQs are aimed at serving as above- ground expressions of the underground movement. Culinary delights are provided on the lawn in the hope that this will facilitate dynamic dialogue between the committee and the law student body. Conversations about law school, elitism, and other appropriate topics are encouraged through the provision of sausies and dranks.
 
Wednesday’s turnout was certainly illustrative of the law school student body’s dramatic increase in size since last year. “I think there were like, 50 people in the year above,” a factually-optimistic third year mentioned offhandedly. “Now that there are 350 first years in the building, I can’t decide whether I’ll bother to show up to BBQs anymore. A sausage isn’t really worth more than a five minute wait, you know.” Some were comparing the crowd to White Night, saying that the lawn felt like a smaller version of the audience that had gathered at Flinders Street Station to see the Cat Empire perform at 2 am during Melbourne’s attempt to host an evening of culture last month.
 
“I wasn’t sure if I was lining up for a sausage or a new Skyrim game,” one student confessed.
 
Activities Directors ‘Janeo & Frawley’ took a minimalist approach to the sausages by cooking them straight out of the packet. This really allowed the students to enjoy and appreciate the inherent flavours of the meat. “You know something is truly good when you don’t have to tamper with it to make others appreciate it,” observed a kid who lined up for seconds.
 
It is not clear what type of meat the sausages contained.
 
While the free food was clearly the highlight of the week for some of Melbourne Law School’s Centrelink-dependent students, the live music also served as a pleasant break from the daily
(Level 3) grind. Beyoncé flew down from the United States to do an hour-long show for the students, making for three important performances by her within the space of two months (Obama’s in-
auguration, the Superbowl, and the LSS BBQ). She later commented that good things come in threes, leading to speculation regarding the law school’s recent reluctance to allow students to complete the JD in less than three years.
 
Tessa Sidnam