In Oxford, school meals, which have a history of over a hundred years, are still an extremely important part of Oxford scholars' life and social life.
When I first arrived in Oxford, I once talked to my classmates about my greatest wish in Oxford. The answers are varied. Most? Nonsense? The answer is that all universities eat school meals. Everyone laughed it off. After living in Oxford for nearly a year, I realized how much I wanted to eat all the school meals in 38 colleges during the short and intense master's study. Ambitious? .
Oxford University has dozens of independent colleges. In addition to providing tutorial system for members, the college also provides accommodation for students. School dinners are the highlight of university culture. According to the size, history and financial resources of the college, the customs of school dinners are completely different.
In some universities with many teachers and students, school dinners are a daily routine? Compulsory? In institutions that only recruit graduate students, school dinners are only a few times a semester.
Colleges with a long history usually have very strict requirements on the dress for school dinners, such as black tie and cap and gown, while some colleges are relatively casual and just want to look chic. In addition, different colleges have different standards for the supply of dishes and drinks.
Where am I? Teddy? College (also known as Teddy Hall) has a long history, and the tradition of school dinners is also quite satisfactory. The first time I attended a school dinner was shortly after I entered school. The college held a banquet for the freshmen to meet their tutors.
At about 7 o'clock, the freshmen dressed as gentlemen and ladies came to the hall to enjoy an aperitif and chat with their tutors. At 7: 30, everyone takes their seats according to the seating chart. The main hall was seated, everyone stood up, and then the dean led the distinguished guests to file in and sit at the high table.
When everything was ready, the dean made a speech in Latin, and then the gavel set the tone and announced the official start of the dinner. A typical school dinner consists of four courses: head soup or salad, appetizer, main course and dessert. The banquet specifications of different colleges are different, and the biggest difference lies in the supply of wine.
Some colleges, such as Baliol, do not provide red wine, so they need to bring their own. Does Teddy College have a college label? Special wine? You can drink it in unlimited quantities. Therefore, it was well received.
After dinner, the guests at the high table were led into the old library by the dean to enjoy the second dessert, coffee and several wines, and talked until late at night. The guests who were still wanting more in the hall went to the student activity room MRC (middle common room), and they were also drinking.
If you think that Oxford's school meals are just to contact teachers and students, you are all wet. In addition to tasting delicious food and wine, school dinners follow and inherit the social and etiquette in traditional British culture. What does this have to do with China culture, which Confucius emphasized? A gift? And then what? Le? There is some kind of tacit understanding.
Besides dress and dining etiquette, it is also an art to talk with new friends around you. Fortunately, I don't know whether it is alcohol catalysis or Oxford people's widely praised eloquence. I have never met a situation of silence. People often go directly from self-introduction to the British election, from the financial crisis to climate change, and the more they talk, the more enjoyable they are. Usually, I ignore food. Too much? Meet each other late? .
Besides, school dinners are usually? Have any friends come from afar? The finale is also a good opportunity to deepen the feelings between classmates. Most colleges will hold some school dinners, so that members of the college can invite family and friends to attend.
At the same time, an exchange dinner will be held regularly or irregularly between the two colleges, which is open to members of the Friendship College to promote the friendship between the two colleges. In addition to the official exchange dinner of the college, students or students from China will also be invited to attend school meals of different colleges. ? Did you attend the school dinner today? This used to be a popular greeting.
My craziest record in Oxford is attending school dinners four times a week. Experience has proved that in addition to good contacts, you need a healthy stomach, plenty of energy and enough time to attend many school dinners.
It seems very pleasant, but in fact, the price of attending school dinners is often a night of study time. In the face of the tense schoolwork against time, I can't help but be wrong? Eat all the college dinners? Our friends are all in awe.
My year in Oxford is coming to an end, and I have attended less than half of the school dinners. Perhaps this will be a great regret for me to recall my life in Oxford.
I will never forget the experience of attending a school dinner in Oxford. Friends who are about to enter Oxford University, are you ready to attend the school dinner?
The above is a British student's feeling about Oxford school meals. Are the students who are going to study in Britain already full of expectations for the future life of Oxford University?