Barbuce History

"Look ladies, it's Porky's Barbuce..."

They laughed, snickered and jeered. For a time Porky's Barbuce was but a phrase and a memory of a school bus, packed like a sardine can with dozens of adolescents, wrestling for identities in a the brutal social climate of Curtis Middle School.

The days turned into weeks, the weeks into months and months into years. We met people from Lincoln. Social groups realigned, pretty girls stopped showering and started making their own pants; talented jocks put down baseball gloves and became burnouts; some people even stopped wearing shoes.

The hallways of Lincoln Sudbury Regional High School were bland in the fall of 1996. So too were the pages of its newspaper, The Forum. Then, an idea was born and a flavor created that would forever spice up not only the pages of The Forum but also the lives of the students of LS. The Forum needed a restaurant review column to augment its overly political front pages. Students, faculty and staff needed guidance to navigate the wave of new restaurants rising across Metrowest Boston.

The column was called Porky's Barbuce. We cannot say why it was the right fit but some how we knew it was perfect. We rated restaurants on a pig scale. Yeah, that's right, a pig scale. Food quality, service, decor, presentation, concept, execution, cleanliness, staff personality, convenience, timing and a little bit of gusto were just a few of the qualifications considered in our careful evaluations.

Before long, "The Barbuce" as it became known, was an institution within the halls of LS. We brought new talent into the organization, fueling our necessary expansion into the dominant social organization of the times. Golf tournaments, car washes, flag football and even bowling championships were organized as official Barbuce events. During those years, the Barbuce survived injury, detractors, protest, epidemic and even rival organizations. 'Mojo' had t-shirts but the Barbuce had the hearts and minds!

In 1999, we experienced something inevitable: The Barbuce Diaspora. Its members scattered to all corners of the United States. Fortunately, the height of internet age was upon us and we were able to spread Barbuce cheer at the holidays via email and instant messaging. We found that absence indeed makes the heart grow fonder and our events from 1999 to 2003 were incredibly successful.

In November of 2003, the Barbuce met its greatest challenge-coping with the loss of its heart and soul, Matthew Bardsley. Over the last decade we shared laughs and pleasant memories. In the midst of our grief and mourning for Matt we kept close his spirit and discovered the best in each other.

From 1993 to 2003, Porky's Barbuce rose from an idea to an institution. Today it exists in its truest form-a tribute to those who hold kindness, generosity and the spirit of friendship close to their hearts.

We invite you to explore our rich history and become part of our exciting future. Enjoy the rest of our awesome website.

Adam Fliss
Bobby Myerow
Paolo Mascari