A hard dirt trail in front of me and a beaming sun above, I glided effortlessly towards the Trout Inn.
But perhaps I am getting a tad ahead of myself. Indeed, I recognize it has only been four days since my last post, but so much has happened and I am in such a joyous mood that alas, it is a perfect day for a bit of writing. As I revealed last time, the clouds finally evacuated and the sun came out over the United Kingdom, producing an absolutely incredible week of weather. Every day this week has been in the mid 20s C (70-80 F), which when compared to the low teens is heavenly. It seems as if Oxford has burst forth from its long, drizzly springtime, eager to get out and live life to the fullest.
Sarah, Sussan, and I had been long planning a joint barbecue for this weekend to celebrate our respective birthdays. Sarah - who's from London - has her birthday today, while mine is this coming Friday and Sussan - from New Jersey - is getting a head start on her September birthday. The cold, clouds, and rain have had us all a bit downcast and I was fretting the possibility of having to wear a jumper on my birthday. To our immense delight, however, this week brought along a forecast of 24 and sunny for our special day. The barbecue was to be held in the Acland courtyard, a quasi-secluded atrium in the heart of our two story dormitory. The MCR purchased a barbecue last month, so with their approval, we geared up for a massive celebration.
For anyone who knows me, you know that I tend to ascribe to the philosophy "go big or go home." This cookout was no exception. Over the past couple weeks, Sarah and Sussan took care of most of the logistics - including ordering food - so I awoke early yesterday morning to prepare for my end of the bargain: a day of cooking! First, I had to grab a delicious breakfast at Green's Cafe with Jenna before we headed to our grocery store, Tesco. Naturally, I couldn't have a birthday celebration without my best friend/dance partner/pastry chef, so she planned to block off the day for a massive amount of baking. I was quite happy to leave her in charge of the desserts, though I think the opportunity for baked creativity sort of went to her head. Thus, our dessert menu was almost as intricate as those cakes you see on Food Network Challenge: Jenna's family recipe chocolate chip cookies, experimental oatmeal lemon creme bars, decadent rocky road, and myriad decorated sheet cakes. To tell you the truth, the desserts actually ended up being relatively easy and I imagine a critical review of each would take longer to write than the desserts all took to make. Suffice it to say that the taste award decidedly went to the lemon bars - which I plan to make again this week - and the decorative award goes to the four cakes, which Jenna expertly decorated with frosting, marshmallows, silver balls, cake gel, and polka dot sprinkles.
After meeting up with Sussan and Sarah to relocate a bunch of furniture and the barbecue to the courtyard, I found myself with some time to take a quick power nap before lighting the grill. As the festivities were set to begin at 1800, I lit the barbecue at 1745, anticipating a fashionably late crowd. I was right, but they sure came in droves! It was great that we asked for edible contributions because I had a huge stack of uncooked meat on one side and an empty tray of cooked meat from the start of the party until 2200; I could barely keep up with the ravenous 80-person crowd! To be sure, I could not have done it alone - I was very grateful to have Jenna by my side on grilled veggie duty all night long. I also got to teach her a thing or two about grilling! She was so proud of the fact that she was working a charcoal grill for four hours and really wished her dad was there to see her! It made me really happy! Anyway, I wish I had kept track, but I reckon the final carnage was somewhere around 100 sausages, 50 burgers, 50 pieces of chicken, and a dozen veggie burgers. A great many bell peppers, courgettes, and onions were also sacrificed for the cause... as well as some cauliflower, which didn't particularly grill well. Four hours of grilling, two hours of schmoozing with our delicious puddings (see below), and an hour of cleaning sure did me in: I slept like a rock. It was an absolutely perfect birthday celebration.
But hey, the summer fun hasn't stopped there. On Friday, the day before the party, most of my lab mates and I decided to play hookey for the afternoon and go punting. Stocked with an arsenal of picnic foods, we met at the boathouse at noon and boarded two punts. I took the first shift in a boat with "Team Nature" and awkwardly shoved away from shore. With only 30 minutes of previous punting experience, it took a good amount of time for me to regain the hang of it. It also didn't help that with all the rain over the last six weeks, the river was very high and a bit faster than when I punted in March. I definitely steered us into both banks like a pinball and accidentally navigated Justine (the swimmer from New Mexico) under a prickly vine... which got caught in her bun... pulled her along the inside of the boat... and tore out a tuft of hair. Luckily she was all laughs, but I was extremely embarrassed and mortified! Alas, aside from Giulia (who is from Italy and does ballet in her spare time) going crazy at the discovery of any small spider in our boat, we had an extremely leisurely three hour tour (on which we avoided pulling a Gilligan).
Following the punting, I then took part in another Oxford/English pastime - cricket! Ok, I did not play this time - for it was the Oxford-Cambridge Varsity Match - but I did head to University Parks where I met some dance friends (including my Partner, who - being from LA - was also incredibly keen to lay out in the sun) and soaked up the sun while watching the game. I supplemented my limited previous knowledge with a much better (though still incomplete) understanding of the sport, and I hope I get the chance to actually play over the summer. Unfortunately, I had to leave before the end of the match - a big surprise in cricket ;-) - but the internet suggests that Oxford won 155-151 while down to their last 'over,' which is like an out. Yay Oxford! I must say, there's nothing like punting, picnicking, and laying on a blanket to watch cricket under a brilliant sky with a gentle breeze. Life is so good :-)
Now this morning, after finishing the clean up effort, I had a spontaneous urge to go for a run. "But Dan, you haven't gone for a run since October! You injured yourself in December and February and have been busy dancing... are you sure you're up for it?" Well, my friends, with weather like this, who wouldn't be up for it? After a brief stretch, I sallied forth from Acland and swiftly glided through Port Meadow. Everyone was out with their dog, their significant other, or just their running shoes, so it made for a splendid and easy 45 minute, 4.8 mile run to The Trout Inn and back. The endless fields of buttercups... the hard packed dirt in front of me... glorious green grass... the sound of rowers splashing the water...
I really hope by now you are jealous of being England. That's all.
CULTURE CORNER
Sadly, it appears I have failed in one respect this weekend: it's true. I cannot do everything. While I manned the grill like a salty old captain at the helm, our party precluded the opportunity to watch the Eurovision competition. Basically, each participating European country sends a musical act - like in America's Got Talent, American Idol, Britain's Got Talent, etc. The BBC televises it across Europe and holds a phone-in vote to determine the winning country. This year it was hosted by Azerbaijan, who won the competition last year. My understanding is that some of the acts are good, but some are completely dreadful. I think everyone loves the casual spirit of the whole affair, which makes for a fun night of entertainment... but we were entertaining ourselves with a barbecue, so you'll have to wait for next year for a better description!
Oh yeah! It's Memorial Day Weekend! I almost forgot, given that they do not celebrate it here. Even though I will be back at work tomorrow, it is still an honor to remember those who have served their country in wartime and in peace. I particularly remember each of my late grandfathers, who both served in World War II.
Though... I also must admit... it's nice to get my annual Memorial Day cookout in too ;-)
Lastly, on providing food for a cookout. In the States, it is typical for the host of a party to provide the meaty main dishes while the guests each bring a side to share. As I found out last night, such is reversed in the UK. If I understand correctly, it is much more common for hosts here to provide the side dishes and puddings (see below again), while the guests each bring a main to throw on the grill. Naturally, this explains the massive quantity of barbecue food yesterday: sausages (all pork and leak... I don't think they believe in Italian, Polish, or German sausage here), chicken wings, skewers, burgers, etc etc. It was delicious!
Words of the Day
Entree. n. Part of a multi-course meal coming before the main dish. Such may include a soup, a salad, some bread, or perhaps even an antipasto. This is not to be confused with an American entree, which is served immediately before dessert and is the largest dish of the meal. Syn: appetizer
Pudding. n. Part of a multi-course meal coming after the main dish(es). There are many kinds of puddings including cakes, tarts, pies, cookies, panna cotta, fruit, and other sweet confections. Often, pudding is served with tea and coffee, though occasionally tea and coffee are served with biscuits and after dinner mints subsequent to pudding. Ex. "Could you please tell me what pudding we will be having tonight?" "Yes, tonight's pudding includes your choice of Tarte au Pomme, Oatmeal Lemon Bars, or Black Forest Cake."
Salad. n. Any of a variety of mixed or plain vegetables consumed either independently or as toppings on a sandwich or other dish. They can be as complex as what Americans would consider as salad (e.g. pasta salad, house salad, potato salad, etc.) or as simple as plain cucumbers, plain tomatoes, corn, red onions, or olives. Ex. "Sir, your baguette comes with three salads. What would you like?" "Sure, I'll take rocket, cucumbers, and chicken salad. Cheers."
Rocket. n. A leafy vegetable that grows either wild or domestically. Its dark, spindly leaves have a distinct peppery taste and are fantastic on wraps, baguettes, ciabattas, or even independently. Syn. Arugala.
Alright. This word is a unique entity of the British English language. Used as a standard greeting, it simultaneously fills the functions of "Hi," "How are you?" and "How is it going?" The reply is just as simple as the original greeting, and proper usage of both call and response are essential to becoming a proper Brit. I have yet to master it:
(Person A and Person B see each other approaching on the pavement...)
Person A: Alright?
Person B: Alright.
(They pass each other right at that moment and continue walking in opposite directions.)
Pavement. n. A pathway next to the street for pedestrians to walk on. Typically made from stone, concrete, or asphalt. Approx 0.5-2 m wide. Syn. Sidewalk.
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