Even older (800 years for the Magna Carta), on the occasion of Emma Black Tie #2

There seems to be a black tie event once a term.  When we were here last May, it was a (formal) guest night.  This year it was the annual Gomes Lecture and Dinner. which celebrates the College's connections with the USA and Harvard and the late Minister at the Memorial Church there, Peter Gomes.

The speaker was Linda Colley (Professor of History at Princeton) speaking on "A Changing Magna Carta:  Memory, Inventions and Politics."  The talk was quite interesting, focusing on how the Magna Carta and what it means has been co-opted both locally and internationally (including by the US and our federal constituion) since it was written. The Magna Carta's 800th anniversary is this year so it is in general receiving a lot of attention.

After dinner there was a high table on steroids event.  Reception with champage in the Old Library,  dinner in the Hall (but with a seating plan, a choir singing the Latin grace, a fancier menu written in French rather than English, and fancier academic doctoral robes involving scarlet over the normal black), and then dessert in the Gallery (a totally awesome room, painted deep green and hung with portraits, with one huge long table covered in silver swag ) rather than the Parlour.

Unlike the unexpected "Black tie and gown" dinner in May (which I thought we blogged about, but looking back I guess not), I came prepared with clothes this time. Given that academics are fashion-challenged, the skirt I already owned was fine.  Mark didn't get to come to this one, so didn't have to rent a tux.  The guests were some Fellows, largely interesting alums, as well as seemingly rich and/or titled people.  A crib sheet of guests was sent out in advance.  I was seated across from an Emma Fellow who is a practicing vet and seated next to: "Mrs Edna Hunnable Schneider is a friend of Peter Gomes, the Rossanos and Professor Ffowcs Williams. Her late husband, Tom Hunnable, was like Professor Ffowcs Williams a governor of Felsted School and imported Volvo cars into the UK. She has since married Rolf Schneider, who followed his father in working for Lobb’s bootmakers in St James’s Street, where he was given charge of the Royal account and became a director of the firm."  They seemed to be of the rich variety, owning horses that compete in the Olympics and numerous residences in the country as well as London.

7 for 7:30

7 for 7:30 is British invitation lingo. It means that dinner is at 7:30, but show up at 7 for drinks.  These were our instructions for this term's "Informal Guest Night" at Emmanuel College (where informal means jacket and tie, as opposed to black-tie).  Unlike normal high table dinners, fellows are encouraged to bring their partners; the evening is more socially-oriented and the food and wine more elaborate.

First snow - River Cam

This being my third variant of an Emma high table dinner, I think I am finally getting the hang of things.  The evening begins with drinks (either sparkling eldeberry juice or champagne)  in the Old Library, with fellows distinguished from the rest of the crowd by their black academic gowns. Apparently a gown is not a perk of a visiting fellow, which makes me stand out like a sore thumb at these events.  At 7:30 the pounding of a gavel causes everyone to proceed to the formal dining hall, where after the recitation of a Latin benediction,  a fixed menu of seafood/meat/vegetables/dessert and white/red wine is served to all.  Upon completion of the meal and another gavel, everyone rises for a closing benediction, then we retire to a new set of tables in the parlour next door.  Here we do more eating (fruit, cheese, chocolates) and drinking (port, sauterne, claret, coffee and tea) and conversing.  Besides the food (or probably better than the food which is quite British, i.e. note the black pudding on the menu) is the opportunity to meet interesting people. For example, the first people we met were a political economist specializing in Ukraine/Russia and his wife who is a fellow at another college in Economic Sociology and recently wrote a book about Michelin restaurants which sounds like a must-read for us: The Cultivation of Taste: Chefs and the Organization of Fine Dining. 

atest scholarly interests are haute cuisine restaurants/chefs in Britain and Germany. This work expands her interest in economic sociology with that of cultural economy and sociology of culture. - See more at: http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/professor-christel-lane#sthash.GbXRLEDv.dpuf

latest scholarly interests are haute cuisine restaurants/chefs in Britain and Germany. This work expands her interest in economic sociology with that of cultural economy and sociology of culture. - See more at: http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/professor-christel-lane#sthash.GbXRLEDv.dpuf

latest scholarly interests are haute cuisine restaurants/chefs in Britain and Germany. This work expands her interest in economic sociology with that of cultural economy and sociology of culture. - See more at: http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/professor-christel-lane#sthash.GbXRLEDv.dpuf

Prof Lane’s latest scholarly interests are haute cuisine restaurants/chefs in Britain and Germany. This work expands her interest in economic sociology with that of cultural economy and sociology of culture. - See more at: http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/professor-christel-lane#sthash.GbXRLEDv.dpuf

Prof Lane’s latest scholarly interests are haute cuisine restaurants/chefs in Britain and Germany. This work expands her interest in economic sociology with that of cultural economy and sociology of culture. - See more at: http://www.joh.cam.ac.uk/professor-christel-lane#sthash.GbXRLEDv.dpuf

Earlier in the day we awoke to the first real snow that stuck.  OK, compared to Pittsburgh  it was more of a dusting, but the locals were still out making snowballs and building snow people.

High Table Expeditions

In addition to the free flat provided by my hosting college in Cambridge University (Emmanuel - founded in 1584!), I also am entitled to daily free lunch and dinner if I so desire.  I tried out both this week.  The meals are about a twenty minute walk each way from either my office or our flat. Everything in fact seems to be about a 20-30 minute walk to everything else in Cambridge.  Fellows (faculty) sit at High Table in The Hall (the horizontal table in the pictures when you click on the link).  Just like Hogwarts.

You don't need to make a reservation for lunch. You just show up and then either use the salad bar or choose from two or three hot entries.  The "butler" and his staff basically have huge trays of the hot food ready, and after you tell them which thing you want they bring you a tray and you serve yourself.  They also bring by a tray of cooked vegetables. I had soup followed by mackerel/vegetables.  Then there is dessert, I had some chocolate mousse thing.  Then you walk upstairs to get coffee/tea and read the newspaper, or you take your drink to another room if you wish to chat with someone.

Dinner requires a reservation by the morning of and is much more formal (jacket and tie) and time-consuming (two hours or so).  While lunch seems to be highly attended, dinner is not.  Fellows again sit at High Table but now wear their black academic gowns.  However, even though a visiting fellow, I don't get a gown. The presiding fellow (the most senior person) opens with a Latin Benediction (all stand).  Then you have the meal off of a set menu (see photo). When everyone is done you have the closing Benediction (all stand).  Then we move to the parlour, a very nice room with a roaring fire, with chairs placed around the fire in a semi-circle.  There seems to be some sort of seating protocol for who sits in at least some of the chairs.  The presiding fellow (the "Master" that particular evening) is in the center chair and always gets served first.  There was fruit, chocolates, port, and claret.  The most junior fellow apparently was in charge of refilling people's glasses.  I still haven't figured it all out.  For example, it is not clear to me if spouses are really welcome.  And even if they are,  only my meals are covered and it is not cheap.  There are special events though, we are going to the "Family Lunch" tomorrow.

Even though I ended up meeting The Master at my Wednesday dinner, my host had previously arranged to introduce me to her on Friday.  We went over to her very nice house that is provided by Emmanuel and had a cup of tea and chatted. The current master is Dame Fiona Reynolds, who previously ran the National Trust and is very charming.