No-time-vember

Only in Oxford can you feel good about a Christmas carols service before eating a (second) Christmas dinner in college on the 30th of November... but perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself.

Shortly after my last post, Liam, Ellie, and I realised that we had a habit of sitting in our living room every morning at breakfast. We would begin the conversation groggy and miserable, obligatorily discussing the bleak weather (back to that later) and our boring lab work ahead. After a few minutes, all hell would let loose and we found ourselves laughing at each other uproariously. Such laughter before 8:30 am is simply unnatural, so our realisation of these recurring events meant that banter breakfast was born. Over the ensuing weeks, banter breakfast became such an institution that we even invited our housemate Rebecca (<-- example of banter, for the non-British). In addition, we started to branch out by moving banter breakfast to Keble hall once a week, allowing non-housemates to partake in small doses of our unnatural hilarity.

An event that has returned a more natural amount of hilarity has been the ongoing Shakespeare group, headed up by our dear friendly Irish giant, Luke. For the avid readers, Luke is the guitarist whom I have played with on many a music night, so it has been fun to collectively broaden our artistic horizons with Shakespeare. In the two sessions since my last post, we have powered through Romeo & Juliet, much to the enjoyment of the dozen readers who have participated. In the first of these, I learned that I am particularly suited for the role of Nurse, but I also had the opportunity to profess my undying love as Romeo to Juliet. In the second session - before a soothing fire in the MCR fireplace - we witnessed the tragedy of best-intended strategy gone awry. If you've never actually read Romeo & Juliet, read it. It's even better than West Side Story.

It is hard to believe that almost a month has passed since the US election. Even more hard to believe is the amount of attention given to it by the international community leading up to Election Day. Everybody followed the race a little and many followed it quite closely. Yet unsurprisingly, the views expressed to me ranged from "Well, at least Romney is good for economics" to "I cannot understand why anyone would even consider voting for the Republican Party!" To be fair, I was impressed with how most people were willing to have a civil discussion with me about the Presidential race; they were typically open to hear my views, and even conceded some viewpoints from the standpoint that political structures vary on a country-by-country basis. It goes to show that evaluations made about another country/government are best made in the context of that country's history, culture, economics, and social climate; not in the framework of the person making the value judgements. By the way, I also get the impression that the British are much less personal about politics than Americans are.... Americans could do well by taking notes.

Having turned this blog a bit serious in the last paragraph, it's time to return to current events. I have been totally thrilled by dance over the last month. It was a bit of a frantic ride to get routines in time, but competitions were quite successful! Emma and I decided to compete at a Novice level for Ballroom and an intermediate level for Latin. What that meant was that we only had to learn two routines (waltz & quickstep) with beginners-level footwork for Ballroom while we concentrated on more challenging, intermediate level footwork in three Latin routines (cha, rumba, jive). Thanks to our early start learning the cha, our routine was quite good: it had attitude and character... and several fantastic components. We started our jive a fair bit later than the cha, and the significantly increased complexity of the jive from beginners meant that we struggled to pull it together. I wouldn't say it was near to polished, but at least we more-or-less had the footwork down! Finally, the rumba (known as the "dance of looooove") is quite a slow dance, so we actually learned our routine on the Wednesday before the competition. Similar to performing slow instrumental works, slow dances are quite challenging. We did alright (we have an awesome dip) but I have a lot to learn as far as smoothing out my technique.

So, the competitions? Last year, if you recall, Nottingham and Warwick were on consecutive weekends. This year - due to a scheduling faux pas - the two comps were in consecutive days. Thus, we went as a full team to Nottingham last Saturday and took a smaller, hard core team to Warwick on Sunday. In part one, Emma and I hit the square Nottingham floor for ballroom and realized that our routines were not quite as polished as they needed to be. Our waltz was ok, but we struggled to get the quickstep going. The crowded square floor also resulted in an unregulated flow of dance traffic, leading to frequent collisions and crowds in corners. In spite of the difficulties, we battled our way to the quarterfinals, where we bombed our quickstep and made our exit.* Given the challenging standard of our Latin routines, it was good that we had reasonable expectations in the afternoon... we did not advance past the first round. We got a couple tips from our coaches and prepared for the evening's team match while cheering on our Oxford teammates. The evening team match ended up being great fun, as always. My team (Oxford E team) advanced a couple rounds (even lasting longer than Oxford D! :-P ), which was all we had hoped for. The highlight of the night was when Oxford A team won the competition. Go Oxford!

After the competition, the component returning to Oxford (~10 main team couples plus all the beginners) crammed onto one coach while the remaining 14 couples spread out luxuriously on the other coach. We were dropped off at a motorway Travelodge in Birmingham for the night. Down at midnight and up at 7, I was stoked for another day on the dance floor. Much more relaxed on Sunday, Emma and I were nigh unto unstoppable during the ballroom. Our form was good, the footwork was clean, and I was cautiously optimistic we would make a final. Except one minor detail... since the dances are in heats, we typically have a break between waltz and quickstep. In the semifinals, however, where there is only one heat, everyone is to remain on the floor after the waltz to immediately dance the quickstep.* WELL... somehow we three Oxford couples didn't remember that; we sauntered off of the floor only to realise that our heat was still on the floor doing the quickstep! Frantically, we ran back on, but in our rattled state, nothing fell into place. Game over. Fingers crossed, we'll pull it together for Sheffield in February. On the bright side, Latin in the afternoon was fantastic! Again, more relaxed, we actually made it to the third round, which was the quarterfinals! The standard may have been a little easier than Saturday, but we were also a lot looser and performing much more confidently. I have high hopes for the spring when we actually get our Rumba and jive working! As with Saturday night, the team match on Sunday was really fun. Our reduced team meant that we danced cha on the Oxford C team, where we made it to semifinals before bowing out. Returning to Oxford after two full days of competition, I was very content and a bit tired too!

By the way, before I move away from dance related updates, I will also mention that we had our semi-annual dancesport ball at the beginning of November. Sporting a fancy masquerade mask, I realized that I'm finally able to lead in four dances - and I had an incredible time! So if anyone wants to waltz, quickstep, cha, or jive, I'd be happy to go for a spin :-)

*(Side note: as a beginner, competitors compete each of the four dances (W, Q, C, J) individually so that couples can choose to focus on just one dance. In novice, intermediate, and advanced levels, the dances are in sets. That is, a couple is graded on both their waltz and quickstep together to determine whether they move on to the next round of novice ballroom. Intermediate ballroom couples were graded on waltz, tango, and quickstep together. Novice Latin consisted of cha and jive; Intermediate added rumba. Advanced ballroom and Latin are four dances each: WTQ and Viennese Waltz; CRJ and paso doble. For the record, a 10-dance couple has routines in waltz, tango, quickstep, Viennese, foxtrot, cha, rumba, jive, paso doble, and samba. Occasionally, competitions feature these ballroom and Latin five-dance sets.)

Back in MCR land, I think the time is ripe to update the Dan Zagat ratings. This term, I have eaten in a trifecta of other halls: Harris Manchester (HMC), Brasenose, and Green Templeton (GTC). Here are the high and lo-lights of each.

I went to HMC on an exchange dinner between their MCR and ours. I was quite keen to visit, as it is one of the smaller MCRs in Oxford, and thus a bit challenging to obtain an invite to dinner. The hall was relatively standard in size with a high table in the front of the room and the standard assortment of portraits distributed around. The college president welcomed us to their hall (a very nice touch!) and we thus began dinner. The starter consisted of Caesar salad topped with anchovies, a fishy component that I have had for the first three times in my life this term. Overall grade: meh. They're salty. The main was a fine wiener schnitzel with potatoes and veg, followed up by a tasty (though apparently unmemorable) dessert and an excellent (and very memorable) cheese board. Overall the meal was quite nice (on top of the excellent hospitality), so I would gladly go again.

I enjoyed Brasenose college for the sake that I got to try out a new college's hall, but there were certainly some weird facets to it. There was no high table and some student presided over dinner; the outside tables (long, bench format) were up against the wall, so students had to scoot along the bench (and waiters had to pass food across the table!); one had to essentially enter the hall through the kitchen; and the massive wooden coat of arms overlooking the hall included a regal lion on one side and a less regal unicorn with a giant... uh... horn on the other. Totally unnecessary and a bit distracting too. To be fair, the food was alright, but aside from the bowl of anchovy pizza served as the starter, the meal was not overwhelmingly memorable. As with all halls, it's not that I wouldn't go again in a heartbeat... but it wasn't my first preference.

Green Templeton College probably deserves more discussion than I'm going to give it, but in a nutshell, I went to guest night / Christmas dinner there with a friend from NC State. The elaborate Christmas menu was also souped up for guests, meaning it may or may not have been indicative of typical GTC dinners. Nonetheless, Sindhu and I enjoyed our copious Christmas food (sauteed mushrooms on toast; nut roast with roasted veg, cranberry sauce, and stuffing; decadent chocolate yule log) at the center of what may be the only octagonal hall in Oxford - the heart of the Radcliffe Observatory. Perhaps the most iconic building in Oxford, its three-story octagonal roof is topped by a small statue of Atlas carrying the globe on his shoulders. The building is also a uniformly clean cream color, much unlike the rest of Oxford's buildings. With mince pies afterwards, it was a fine evening for sure... a great hall even in spite of the unfair advantage. Now the rankings:

-Hall design/functionality/architecture: Keble, GTC, Worcester, Balliol, Magdalen, HMC, Brasenose
-Formal Dinner Menu: Worcester, GTC**, Balliol, Keble, HMC, Magdalen, Brasenose
-Wait staff: GTC, HMC, Balliol, Magdalen, Worcester, Brasenose, Keble
-Cost (low-high): Keble (5), HMC (6), Worcester (8), Magdalen (10), Balliol (12), Brasenose (14*), GTC (**)
-Overall Experience: GTC, Balliol, Keble, Worcester, HMC, Magdalen, Brasenose
(And for completeness... Rank of Halls I've had lunch in: Sommerville, St. John's, Keble)

*Included reception before dinner; **Special Christmas formal; cost paid by friend

Having made these rankings, I realise how challenging it's going to be to keep the Dan Zagat ratings going across 3 years... hmmm... I also realised that I the uniqueness of certain experiences (eg Worcester) help it in the rankings compared to other colleges, which are apparently quite similar.

At last I come to one of my favorite parts about Oxford: Oxmas! This annual celebration begins as early as 15 November and lasts until the 'dead' of December. The merit? Let me count the ways!
1. Keble MCR Black Tie Dinner
2. Oxford Light Night
3. Keble Christmas Dinner
4. Keble Guest Night
5. GTC Guest Night/Christmas Dinner
6. Keble MCR "Nightmare Before Christmas" Bop
7. Sinterklaas (Dutch Christmas) celebration
8. Lab Christmas Dinner
9. Keble Founders & Benefactors Christmas Black Tie Dinner
10. House Christmas Party

.... All of which happened in a mere 17 day period! (of which 2 days were taken by dance competitions)

Since the list is too long for this blog, I'll highlight just a couple events for your festive pleasure. The Sinterklaas celebration (Roos, correct me if my spelling is lame) was an opportunity for us to casually exchange gag gifts and (mandatory) cheesy poetry in honor of 5 December. Roos, my housemates, and a few others met in the MCR and ate Dutch sweets (mmmm kruidnoten!!!) while learning about leaving one's shoes outside the front door in hopes that Santa will fill them with goodies. Apparently Sinterklaas has historically also been accompanied by Zwarte Piet - Black Peter - now an obviously controversial servant for a 21st century Father Christmas. Yet we all know that tradition dies hard, so apparently Zwarte Piet lives on in the Netherlands. With such a multi-faceted peek into a different culture's Christmas tradition, we had a great (and insightful) evening. PS - I got a musical tea towel and a baking dish :-)

The Founders & Benefactors Black Tie is affectionately known among Keble circles as "The Feast." I mention this first because I don't know if I've ever been to such a prolonged meal. Hosted by the college, the guest list included all students who received a First (think: summa cum laude) or DPhil last year, the fellows and staff of the college, notable old members (that's what they call Oxford alumni, no joke), donors, and friends of the college. As MCR President, I fall into this latter category :-)

Act I: The Senior Common Room, 7:15p - Prosecco & Canape reception. A lovely chat with the domestic bursar, senior dean ("So, is this [reception] the Warden's attempt to finish before midnight?"), sub-warden, and a pair of other gentlemen. I also greeted the JCR president.
Act II Scene I: The Hall, 8p - With fireplace lit, we (150-200 guests) sat down to starters in the front half of hall. I was sat with other engineers, including the President of the Keble Association (a group of old members... a major benefactor!), the senior dean (incidentally my college adviser), the sub-warden (incidentally a civil engineer), a few students, and a couple others. The starter: Saffron red mullet on vegetables a la grecque. Oh yeah, you know how most formal dinners have 3 glasses set out (red, white, and water)? This had four. Enter waiter. Fill white. Enter different waiter. Fill water. Delicious. More discussion. Finally the main: Roasted breast & confit leg of partridge with sweet potato fondant, beetroot, cavalo nero and honey-glazed pear with spiced plum chutney. Glorious. Enter waiter. Fill red. Savor every bite. Enter waiter. Re-fill red. WHAT?! It's going to be a long night... more discussion. Finally dessert: Clementine jelly, Cointreau ice cream and brandy snaps, spiced cranberry compote with orange dust. Enter waiter. Fill dessert white. More conversation (fascinating knowledge... but details shall be left out for the sake of those involved!). At last, the speech allowed us to head outside for a quick break before returning.
Act II Scene II: The other half of hall, 10:45p - Second dessert. Having run to the MCR to check in (I missed the MCR Christmas party for the college black tie! Tough life :-P), I returned to hall for the second seating plan. Fine china platters were set around with fancy fruit (figs, plums, clementines, strawberries all delicately arranged!) and an assortment of chocolate truffles. Looking down at the plate before me, I noticed something. Two more glasses?! You have to be kidding me. Sure enough, a few minutes brought a trio of crystal decanters down the table: dessert white, dessert red, and port. At least it was pick two of three! Imagine that. Getting tipsier and there I was, sitting next to a gentleman who evidently donated a building to the college. Incidentally also an engineer, we talked about my travels to China (relevant compared to some work he did in Hong Kong), the merits of hiring engineers, and some of my career aspirations. Believe it or not, the decanters were passed along the table three times but mercifully a waiter also came around to pour coffee after the second pass. After almost an hour, we cleared Hall a second time; many a student (and adults as well!) were a bit slower this time...
Act III: The Senior Common Room, 11:45p - After dinner reception. Fellows, students, benefactors, and staff alike piled back into the SCR to carry on the socializing. I finally reconnected with some other students whom I recognised. While some started to wind down the evening with coffee, others chose to hold serve with more dessert white, and alas, some stepped up their game with a bit of whiskey. I'm not sure if it was the alcohol or the company (ok, it was probably the former), but the reception lingered a long time. Eventually, one of the fellows stood up and - excusing the fact that he had quite a bit to drink - presented two witty quotes to suggest in an entirely non-subtle manner that it was time for us to leave. I looked at my watch, 1:30a.
Act IV: The Middle Common Room, 1:45a - Yeah, we didn't go home. One fellow even came to the MCR with us. The Christmas party was long gone, but the remnant cheese and crackers remained. Perfect nightcap. At 2am, I happily headed home.

When I awoke the next morning, aside from a little grogginess, I felt fantastic: perfect for our house Christmas party. I got straight to work on cake balls while Sam, Liam, and Ellie got to work on the main meal. We literally relaxed in the house all day, retelling Christmas party and Feast stories from the previous night. The only casualty was a blender, which apparently could not blend a sausage stuffing. This feast, which commenced at 2:30, included turkey, pigs-in-a-blanket (see below), roasted potatoes, carrots, parsnips, cranberry sauce, sausage stuffing, brussels sprouts, chocolate cake balls, and traditional Christmas pudding. My Christmas cracker (an amazing part of British Christmas) included a red cellophane fortune-telling fish. Apparently I'm fake... but the steaming Christmas pudding was fickle, judgmental, and independent! Anyway, when the meal concluded, we merely sat and gazed at each other in tryptophan-induced bewilderment for hours. I pondered finishing this blog (I didn't) and reading the Hobbit (I couldn't), and thus resorted to staring at the walls before starting the cleaning. I really enjoyed spending the time with my housemates, even to the point that I totally forgot it was a normal Sunday outside.

On that note, I'll wish you a Merry Oxmas, for in a couple days new, authentic, Christmas adventures await with friends and family!

PS- I started a new blogette: www.weatherwinge.blogspot.com.... an opportunity for me to practice my Britishness by winging about the weather all the time. :-)

CULTURE CORNER
Words of the Day:
Winge, v. To complain in a whining manner about something petty or pointless.

Pig-in-a-Blanket, n. A sausage wrapped in strip bacon (as opposed to a bacon rasher) (not to be confused with a US pig-in-a-blanket, which includes that unnecessary pastry bit diluting the meatiness underneath. Next time I cook... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Xc5wIpUenQ)