Dining in College

[frenchpony]

dawtheminstrel asked me about what dining in college was like. It's such a wacky, weird, and wonderful experience that I figured it deserved its own post. So here it is.

Comments

[dawtheminstrel]

Oh my goodness. That's a way bigger folderol than I realized. Also the food sounds excellent, though I'm not fond of bananas either. Neither is Mr daw. And you are the only other person I know in that category.

[frenchpony]

High Table is a production! And that's just a regular High Table night. Twice a term, we have Fellows' Guest Nights, where you're extra-encouraged to bring a guest, and they spiff up the dinner a bit by adding a fish course (between the appetizer and the entree). And then there are Feasts, which is when everybody puts on their really fancy academic attire -- this being where I change into my Chicago gown -- and the College goes Full Ridiculous with six courses, toasts to the Queen and the College, and the Loving Cup, in which mead is shared by way of choreography. I brought a guest to the Name Day Feast last week, and it kind of blew his mind

[meckinock]

Wow. Just wow. I totally want to see a photo of you in your black gown, with a glass of port. And maybe a cigar.

[frenchpony]

Slightly tipsy!Pony reporting in. Yup. The full grand experience tonight. The herring turned out to be especially good, accompanied by pickles, beets, carrots, onions, and hard-boiled egg, just like herring ought to be.

I suspect that there's at least one photo of me in my black gown floating around somewhere. If not, I might have to take a selfie when I get back from Leeds. In my house, though, not directly at High Table, since they don't like photography at dinner. But I might well manage a gown picture, if I remember to do that.

[jay_of_lasgalen]

I've read so many books where characters formally dine in college, but to hear it first hand is fascinating! I've seen the gloriously ornate halls in several of the Oxford colleges, but have never been to Cambridge. Despite the obvious rivalry, I'm sure they'd be the same ;)

I might just take you up on the guest offer next time I come up to London - Cambridge isn't too far away by train!

[frenchpony]

My guess is generally that things that are true of Cambridge are probably also true of Oxford as well, and vice versa. I'm thinking of planning a fieldwork trip to Oxford (the town), at which I will try to work in a few of my more obscure Fellow's Privileges. In this case, it would be being able to stay at our sister college at Oxford for a few nights for either free or really cheap (I have to check our information sheet to remember which), and I think there might be High Table privileges involved as well.

The thing that really struck me at my first High Table was that Terry Pratchett actually wasn't joking all that much when he wrote about Unseen University and its legendary dinners.

[dot_o_choillmor]

I just had dinner from a plate on my lap. While wearing my tracksuit.

[frenchpony]

Which I am perfectly happy to do on nights when I don't do the High Table ritual. I'm a flexible kind of gal like that.

[elliska]

This is absolutely awesome! I love it. I could really enjoy something alike that. A lot.

[frenchpony]

It's a bit mind-boggling the first time you do it, but it's a good kind of mind-boggling, the kind where you have the urge to giggle a lot and can't believe it's all really happening. (Fun fact: My great triumph was at my induction into fellowship, where I took an entire oath, in Latin, and I managed not to giggle during the whole ceremony.) One of the reasons that I love bringing guests is watching the looks on people's faces as they realize that it is, in fact, actually happening. I think I actually blew a friend's mind when I invited him to a College feast.