Spring has sprung here in Oxford* and like a blooming daffodil, I have been rejuvenated by a nice long "break" following the rigours of term time! As today is the eve of 0th week Trinity Term, it seems high time to reflect on the highlights of the last few weeks of break.
The most significant aspect of this break has been the opportunity to relax. Since I have travelled extensively in the last six months (NC, California, London, France, Italy, Germany, and Switzerland), I decided it would be advantageous to take a proper break. This allowed me some time to focus on my research while reconnecting with one of my almost-forgotten hobbies, cooking. Much to my housemates' chagrin, I led a sweeping campaign to return our cluttered and neglected house to a state of decent hominess (side note: why are homely and homey antonyms for sounding so similar?!). In response of their cooperative efforts, I subsequently put on a three week clinic. The results:
Southern fried chicken & cornbread
Easter lamb dinner
Red onion paella
Almond-rolled goats cheese w/ beetroot salad and pesto
Roasted veg
Battenberg cake (http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/battenburg_cake_60878)
Jenna's chocolate chip cookie dough cheesecake bars (http://buyinganelephant.com/2012/04/)
Apple-raspberry crumble
Chocolate bread & butter pudding
Double chocolate macarons
That's right, I made macarons. From scratch. These delicate, almond based, French biscuits might be seen as a pinnacle of baking. With a trans-oceanic spirit of exploration, my parents and I simultaneously ventured into the perilous jungle of the unknown in hopes of finding the unicorn of the pastry world. Team GB (my kitchen) actually ended up having a greater challenge with the ganache filling than the cookie itself. 'Broken' the first time, I failed to 'fix' it the second time, only succeeding with the use of an electric hand mixer the third time. In the meantime, Team USA (my parents' kitchen) casually prepared their ganache before taking a break to go run some errands. When the biscuit-prep began, Team GB almost ran into trouble when adding boiled sugar to egg whites. The meringue matrix collapsed. Team GB panicked, but a loyal housemate recommended I just beat the mix with the hand mixer to stiffen it up. Save of the day! Team USA seemed to cruise along with their hands tied behind their back. Well, when the baking completed, and scores tallied, Team USA won by a narrow margin: No cracks with a few stuck to the pan, while Team GB had 50% cracks and a couple stuck to the pan. Then again, looking at this picture from Team GB, I'd say there were no losers:
So it's been a cooking-filled break. Actually, this week has been quite interesting for other reasons too. Monday saw the passing of one of the 20th century's most influential leaders, Margaret Thatcher. On Tuesday, 'Ding Dong the Witch is Dead' was one of the most downloaded songs on iTunes. Hopefully it will suffice to say that the former Prime Minister's death has engendered a variety of responses. As an American, all I will remark on is the fact that she held particularly close ties to Reagan, collectively forming a bastion of economic conservatism in the 1980s. Given that most of the readers of this blog know much more about the era than I, I will avoid speaking beyond my understanding. I will merely add that Wednesday's military honours should be particularly interesting to watch... I remember watching Reagan's funeral in high school and thinking that his image in public opinion has improved with time, whereas Thatcher's image may have aged more like a soured wine than a fine one. We'll see.
Another interesting element to this week has been my serendipitous accruing of theatre tickets. Through a couple of circumstances, I ended up with tickets to a youth community-theatre production of Oklahoma! on Wednesday in addition to Les Miserables tickets last night. Having already extolled the virtues of the latter on two previous occasions, I'll simply highlight that I have started to read the book, which, in combination with the (decent) movie, provides for a fantastic theatre experience. As for Oklahoma!, I was first surprised by the quality of the performance: the singing was impressive and the American southern accents were perfect for adults, let alone 12-18 year-old British kids. I found it strange watching this American musical in the UK. I wondered how this piece of Americana - somewhere between the Wizard of Oz and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - would be accepted by this international audience. If the musical was originally written to an American audience who would at least have a superficial understanding of the 'old west', how would someone from overseas perceive the show in comparison to me? Is it simply a story of a love triangle, independent from its setting, or does a little understanding of historical and cultural background add meaning to the plot? How about in terms of forming cultural perceptions?
Well anyway, I think I'm going to let you mull that over. It's raining outside and I think I'm due to return to my book. Or find some food. Or plan some MCR events. Or take a nap. Or plan a trip... So many things to do!
Next stop, on to Trinity Term!
*The temperature yesterday was 11C/52F, the warmest it has been all year. We've had one day of radiant sunshine, but a few days of decent sunshine. It's practically summer.
CULTURE CORNER
I played a board game a couple weeks ago entitled 'Oxford by Degrees.' I wouldn't necessarily recommend it to someone who has never studied here, but in one's quest to graduate via the completion of assignments and terms, it hilariously brings to light many of the quirky attributes of Oxford life.... "Someone steals your bicycle. Take 4 off of every spin until you walk to the police station to report it." Or, "Your mom sends you post. Return to your college to collect it, then miss a turn." Or, "If it is Hilary term (in the game), go to the boat house to watch Torpids (a boat race). Stay there until you spin higher than an 8." This, my friends, is quality entertainment. Especially if you graduate with a First.
Which reminds me, maybe I should explain the UK grading system. In the UK, one is not graded on an A/B/C/D/F scale, but on a 1/2/3 scale. The highest degree is a 'First,' which is roughly equivalent in prestige to graduating 'cum laude.' Then, one can be awarded either a 2:1 or a 2:2 (read as 'two one' and 'two two') for first and second class 'Second' degrees. Collectively, these probably correspond to grades from a mid-A down to a low-C. Graduating with a 'Third' is like finishing with a D. Most importantly, I think the bell curve is quite normally distributed: an equal-ish number of firsts and thirds (which are few), and an equal-ish number of 2:1s and 2:2s. As far as percentages go, someone who consistently gets 80% on their essays is likely to get a first, whereas if you are below 45%, you are probably destined for a third. As you can tell, the exams here is much less forgiving than in the US. Good thing I don't subscribe to this system as a DPhil student!
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