Anyway, the food critic we had at our house last week invited us to be his guests (Nathan may or may not have invited himself and me), and it was awesome! We ate in the dining hall filled with long tables, wood paneling, carved ceilings, and larger than life portraits of famous people I'd never heard of (I know, ironic). There was a head table with the master and visiting scholars. Think Hogwarts. Amazing. The picture above is actually the dining room at Christ Church Oxford, where the Harry Potter films were actually made, but the castle dining hall looks very similar. Photo credit here.
There are all kinds of crazy unwritten rules, and thankfully we didn't break any. Everyone had to process in and wear an academic gown (we borrowed, phew!) over their fancy dresses or suits. Then, we all sat and stood at the same time. Standing up during dinner is a 10 pound fine. Throwing up on the tables is a 60 pound fine. I didn't take any pictures inside because no one else was, and I didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to myself... or possibly be fined. :)
We ate our food to the sound of a string quartet. We had bread and butter and carrot soup for the first course; carrots and parsnips, mashed potatoes, pork, and gravy for mains; and pancakes for dessert. Pancake Day = Fat Tuesday (Mardi Gras) in England. Yeah. They're that crazy.
Unfortunately, it was dark when we came and went, so we weren't able to take very good pictures outside. Fortunately, we were serenaded by a bagpiper on our way out the huge castle doors, which was really cool. Our friend told us it wasn't a regular occurrence... just special for us I guess!
I'm so excited I got this video to work! I tried to capture some of the ambiance of the place, but it was too dark. So sad!
We took this blurry picture after we got home. We were a little windswept, but we were full and happy and feeling very grateful to experience such a special treat.
5 comments:
What a treat is right!! I got goose pimples just imagining your experience. :) God is so good! Love you, Rob.
wow. that is awesome. i know there must be some hard days being so far away, but I love that you are taking it all in with such gusto. love the pig tea as well! what an experience.
Nice "representative" picture! I was just thinking to myself...."that looks EXACTLY like Oxford (first picture). My brother studied there one summer and we went to visit. Glad you had a fun time!
I LOVE Durham formals! They are so much fun... just wait to you go to a "bop" after a formal, aka "dance" in American speak. Probably some of my fondest memories! Glad you had fun! big hugs x
That's awesome!
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