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At Burning Man, a ‘Fantastical’ Twelve-Course Meal Will Be Served Aboard This Scorpion Art Car

The enormous emperor scorpion art car.
The enormous emperor scorpion art car. Photo: Mantis Entertainment via KQED

This year on the playa, volunteers who have helped construct the elaborate camp known as Black Rock French Quarter will be treated to an elaborate, twelve-course gourmet feast that will be served aboard a huge mechanical scorpion. The chef is Chris Prince (of the underground series Lazy Bear), and while he won’t reveal his menu just yet, he says he’ll be playing with the theme of fire, because it’s Burning Man, “starting out with kindling, sparks, and , working your way up to fire and smoke,” perhaps with spicy red braised pork belly and a smoky gazpacho, he suggests, and “then ending with embers and ash.”

The scorpion art car will be mounted aboard a truck and the 40 or so diners will be escorted on and seated at tables with elegant dinnerware. It’s a thank-you for all the hard work that goes in to constructing the elaborate camp, and organizer Candi Achenbach is leading the charge. How elaborate the actual cooking will be remains to be seen, as stoves and electricity are not going to be reliable luxuries.

As KQED reports, the two-year-old, New Orleans-themed camp will become a virtual neighborhood again throughout the week, including a cocktail lounge, supper club, bakery, coffee roaster, gumbo cookery, beer brewery, and wine cellar. But wait, no strip club?


Gifting an Epic Dinner at Burning Man [Bay Area Bites/KQED]

At Burning Man, a ‘Fantastical’ Twelve-Course Meal Will Be Served