The Piasa Pub is mecca for Principians. Everyone loves the pub, in all my time here I have not met a single person who does not love spending time in the pub with friends or working on homework. Everyone enjoys the pub, but many people do not pay attention to the people behind the counter. People like me. When I first worked for dining services, I preferred the jobs far removed from customer service. I enjoyed working in the storeroom and the dish room where I could focus on one task and clock out with little to no human interaction. The introvert in me loved it. Flash forward to the middle of the summer where I signed up for work at dining services where it turned out that we would be opening the pub for reunion. I found myself dreading the notion for we would be overrun by alumni for as I mentioned before they all loved the pub
“ The Piasa Pub is mecca for Principians .”
Since it was first built the Piasa Pub has become as much a part of Principia as the Maybeck houses. The pub was named after the Piasa bird from Native American mythology but despite the cool name no one calls it the Piasa Pub. Every Principian simply calls it the Pub. The most popular item on the menu in the Pub is the shake. It’s just a normal milkshake but ask any Principian and they will swear that is the greatest milk shake they have ever had in their life. The Pub is the most popular spot on campus and the one place every alum must go to when they visit the campus, especially during reunion when they all want is cold sweet shake to beat the hot summer days.
When reunion came upon me, I had the pleasure of making nearly a hundred mint chocolate chip shakes as the various alums asked me a range of questions like where I was from and what I was majoring in and what I was planning to do after college. I thought I would hate it, but I found myself loving every moment of it.
I was able to catch up with parents of friends and talk to alumni who used to work for the pub and they would regale me with their stories of working the pub. They all had the same look in their eye as they ate their shakes and told me of the friends they worked with and funny things that happened while working. A story I remember one elderly gentleman telling me was how they would secretly drop a single ice cube into the deep fat fryer and wait for the oil to start bubbling scaring everyone at the grill and subsequently laughing till their sides hurt. I found it hilarious for it was something that I had done before and taught by a senior who had been working at the pub since his freshman year. I felt like I was part of a long line of Principians who shared an unspoken bond almost like a family. It was fun to see a tradition passed down throughout the generations even though it was prank that could land you in hot water if you attempted it now.
“I really loved working at the pub with my friends and making food and shakes for my friends when they came around.” said one alumnus. I cannot remember his name, but his words could be uttered by almost every pub worker before and since. Some would disagree with me saying this, but I believe the pub is the heart of Principia for everyone has fond memories of the pub be they behind the counter or not, though I believe the people behind the counter have the fondest memories of all.
“I loved working at the pub, the only downside now is that I can’t stand ice-cream now!” Said Diane Lovegreen. As you can guess she primarily worked shake side and we laughed over tea as she told me how she only bought ice cream for her family for the memories of making shakes were not pleasant. Ask any pub worker about working shake side during a rush and you will see a flash of fear run through their features like wind on a cornfield. The thing about working shake side is that you come into contact with a lot of ice cream and have to constantly change gloves for they become too sticky too quickly. The metal containers are not insulated so when mixing which is also a test of strength against the mixer your hands feel like they’ve been dipped in a tub of liquid nitrogen. Doing this, twenty to thirty times in a shift throughout the semester takes a toll on you. It’s no wonder Diane let off ice cream.
“If I could I would go back to working in the pub,” says Georg Agai sitting at the Library front desk. We spoke about how much fun he had working with people he would have never otherwise spoken to and how they keep in touch even though he hasn’t worked there in a long while. We both shared the sentiment that the pub is the heart of Principia and that if we come back for reunion, we would go the pub, have a shake and reminisce about our time in Principia.
As long as Principia, stays open the pub will be a big part of the Principia culture but more so for the Prinipian’s behind the counter.