Wednesday nights at Oxford are commonly known as formal nights. The men in their dashing tuxedos or suits and us girls in elegant homecoming style dresses, kind of formal. Dinner is usually served at 6:45 P.M. yet the preparations begin plenty ahead of time. I brought four classy dresses but I’m beginning to think that might not be enough.
After an hour of doing our hair in each other’s rooms or exchanging heels to match with the dress, we slip on our sub fusc. This is the official University of Oxford academic dress that we’re required to wear with every formal meal. It looks like this:
I haven’t managed to buy one yet but everyone keeps pestering. “It’s only 25 pounds! It could be your souvenir!” Ha. Definitely.
While the majority of our meal times are semi-flelxible, formal dinner nights are stringent about being on time. Six forty-five means not a second later because all the students walk in and stand behind their chairs to wait for the High Table to walk in. Tables are set very Harry Potter-like. The Great Hall would be a pretty accurate picture of the dining hall at Harris Manchester, well not as fancy, but lavished with candles and expensive dinnerware.
There are three rows of long dinner tables and the front of the room seats the staff of the college. It’s referred to as the High Table, except it doesn’t exactly stand very high. The Principal, Chaplain, Deans, and professors sit here with the guests invited to each formal night.
Once the High Table walks in, one of the staff members recites grace and we all sit to enjoy our five course meal. The kitchen staff brings out different delicacies from soups and salads to risotto to hemulgoya. The gourmet food is probably a good addition to the copious amount of wine everyone drinks. (Yes, our college serves us red, white, and rosette wine at dinner. And did I mention that half the students come to formals AFTER having attended wine society!?).
Table etiquette is absolutely crucial here. Even finger foods are eaten with forks and knives. You can’t be caught be dead eating your food with just a fork (Oops..Still not used to it). The Brits here have been taught how to pour wine even! You place your thumb at the bottom of the bottom and use the remainder of your fingers to support the bottle when pouring the wine in the glass. Always remember to do it from the right side of the person you are serving wine to.
The correct way:
After sufficient wine and soup, the main course is served. While St. Olaf’s Caf is incomparable, I do give Harris Manchester credit for the presentation of each meal. It’s impeccable.
Finally, we get dessert- anything from tiramisu to butterscotch brownies with ice cream to peach pie. Good thing I have to walk 20 minutes to class everyday, or the desserts will start showing in my pictures.
*Apoorva Pasricha ’14 is studying abroad for the year at the University of Oxford in England