A table one kilometer long. That is the end goal of The Longest Table, the benefit dinner taking place along the Oosterdok on May 27. Starting at A Beautiful Mess on the Oosterdokskade, the ambition runs toward Dam Square. Unknowns sit deliberately side by side. Conversations arise naturally, or at least almost naturally. It's exactly what the organizers have in mind: encounters you can't plan in advance.
Behind the initiative is Refugee Company, an organization that has already assisted hundreds of people from refugee backgrounds to gainful employment or further education. Together with A Beautiful Mess, which is providing the venue, they are setting up this dinner as a positive sound in a debate that is getting harsher. Executive Chef Hans Flissebaalje of DoubleTree by Hilton Amsterdam Central Station is one of the partners participating. His hotel is making two contributions to the evening. General Manager Floris Licht explains why for him the sushi roll is more than a spectacle: “It is precisely when people eat together that conversations and encounters arise that you cannot plan in advance.”
The table is outside, along the water of the Oosterdok. Dishes are served shared dining-style: large platters that you pass around, not a plate all to yourself. A Beautiful Mess's chefs prepare the dishes with other parties around the Oosterdok. The set-up forces you to ask for something, offer something, share something. This is no accident.
It is precisely when people eat together that conversations and encounters occur that you cannot plan in advance.
Buying a meter table costs 250 euros, good for two seats including dinner and drinks. Proceeds go directly to Refugee Company's programs: community cafes, courses and apprenticeships. For those who cannot spare the 250 euros, there is a waiting list. In fact, additional meters purchased offer free spots to people who otherwise could not sit down. Thus, the table works in two ways at once: as a fundraiser and as a place where people come together who would otherwise never meet. On the Oosterdok, overlooking the water, and a sushi roll that almost runs from shore to shore.