Fifteen Minutes: Whine and Cheese

February was the month of the status quo. The beloved received flowers, the beautiful were immortalized in FM and the socially worthy were invited to exclusive campus parties. Veteran revelers and fair-faced first-year females allegedly received formal invites to a chi-chi Feb. 18 "Wine and Cheese II" soiree.

As Renee J. Gasgarth '03 shuffled through her daily clutter of phone bills, marriage proposals and credit card offers, she was unnerved by a mysterious document. "When I first saw the invitation, I had no clue what the deal was. It was for some party with cheese, at an apartment I've never been to, hosted by a complete stranger. I didn't even know if he was a Harvard student or just some random guy. Total sketch vibes," she says. Sketchy or not, she regrets missing the event.

The party's elusive host, Sriram P. Das '00, also a Crimson editor, is indeed a Harvard student with a flair for the finer things in life. His invite-only parties trace to November 1998, when Das and three friends hosted a hip-hop show after party at The Middle East. Thus began Das' self-proclaimed duty to provide an outlet for under-partied undergraduates. "Nobody else here has parties, so I might as well do it myself," quips Das, whose parents conveniently graced him with a Charles Square apartment before his junior year. With five official parties tallied since September, the pad has proved its worth. Das' latest semi-formal fete was a sequel to September's successful wine-and-cheese theme.

Forget your standard beer pong. Erase mental images of tube-topped Wellesley girls pressed against Mather's steamed windows. Despite occasional party-crashers--French au pairs, a homeless man, a motorcycle clan--Das' affairs remain mellow. At the "Wine and Cheese" parties, tables are garnished with brie, camembert and crackers. "His floor-to-ceiling windows reveal a river view. You walk in, and everyone's dressed well," Helen Springut '03, a regular attendee, describes. "There's a table in the back with wine, and some older guy looks at you and asks, 'Red or White?' " Das' friend, social swinger Paul R. Mrockowski '00, attests to the superior pedigree of the wine bar. As a self-declared wino, Mrockowski can appreciate the connoisseur in Das--a small reward for the approximate $500 Das drops per party.

Despite circulating rumors of facebook-based invitations, Das claims his guest list has been pretty static over the past four years. Additions are made for new friends, friends of friends and desired guests. "I've heard of the whole facebook thing happening with other parties," says Das. "It's easy enough to assemble an attractive party without that," he adds. And contrary to popular belief, Das is not a prince. Royal lineage? Denied. Even with an impending senior thesis due date, he hopes to squeeze in a few more galas. If feeling unworthy in February, impress Das with your wine savvy by turning up your nose at cheap Croatian imports.

--S. Tuysuzoglu