Tonight, Newnham came over to Peterhouse for a Formal Hall Swap. I know this may not mean anything to you, but for Petreans, it means the world of a difference! Newnham is an all-girls college, and boy were there interesting girls to meet!! (Peterhouse is mostly male, has a stereotype for being conservative, women fearing, conservative and generally un-accepting of the opposite sex.) We proved to be a great bunch of people, shattering the stereotypes there are about Petreans. We were embroiled in great conversation in the MCR until well past midnight.
We got along perfectly fine, and there are a few women whom I would love to get to know better. Tonight, I met Americans (even someone from New Jersey!!!) and some Brits who proved to be interesting people, not just drones.
Over dinner, I had a riveting conversation about the public health importance of effective health communications in the promotion of breastfeeding in the UK. We also discussed the pros and cons of working and working towards a degree simultaneously. An American asked me where I finished my previous degree, and I answered "SUNY Harlem," and did not get it. She thought there was a real SUNY Harlem. It was a teachable moment. But most importantly, I got invited to the next major event at Newnham: Mardi Gras! I cannot wait. Knowing people outside of Peterhouse is exciting enough, but knowing that people at Newnham are interested in Petreans is even more exciting!!!!
I suppose that it is nothing more than standard for me to describe the culinary caliber of the evening. For our first course at formal hall, we enjoyed a salad, consisting of olives, lettuce, and a dressing remarkably reminiscent of a Caesar dressing. In addition to the garlicky nature of the dressing, one could not ignore the prominent Parmisan shavings, nor the well-made croutons. For the main course, there was a well executed braised cut of beef. I would not go as far as calling it a steak, but it was a well braised cut of bœf. The meat was complemented with the standard brown gravy, most likely of bovine origins. We had roast parsnips, boiled “baby” carrots (i.e., carrots cut to oblong pieces), and mashed potatoes. All in all, the meal was satisfactory. The texture of the beef, though heavily cooked, was soft; the sauce was dark and bold, and peppery enough to pass as a relatively positive dining experience. Of special note are the cartilaginous parts of the cut – they were sufficiently cooked to be soft, but retaining a special “bite” to them, i.e. they were sufficiently soft from braising, but retaining a characteristic resilience to the meat. Dessert was a beautifully airy sponge, spotted with well baked apples, smothered with an eggy custard.
Even the fellows left us with a uniquely grumpy benediction, leaving the meal with a particularly lowly belted Latin prayer. As they filed out of hall, I made it a point to say “hurumph” the moment they left. People reacted pleasantly to it, laughing and remarking with dinosaur like grunts and moans. Over all, tonight was the best Formal Hall Swap ever. We proceeded to have port in the Middle Combination Room (MCR), and continued with discussion, ranging from the challenges of running an MCR, to the difficulties of interracial dating, to issues of women’s rights and maternal care. At some point, we even discussed, critically, the racist nature of natural history museums in the US and UK, harping on how non-Western peoples were featured as aspects of “natural history” while white peoples were left out of the conversation of “natural history.” The conversation only became more interesting and riveting as we approached the topic of how “normal” are pregnancies to the life course of women, i.e. is pregnancy an illness or a complicated construct in a male-dominant society. The far corners of gender equality and women’s rights were conjured in this conversation. Best of all, the Newnham girls were a joy to have in the MCR.
In the end, I was invited to a Mardi Gras party at Newnham. I cannot wait to go. I was also invited to go to Formal Hall there. We will see how far the contact-on-a-napkin will take me. I certainly hope to find a friend, not merely an acquaintance, or a few of them for that matter, at Newnham.
Next major event: Formal Hall swap with St. John’s College, one of the 2 colleges that can serve Swan by decree of the royalty of the 1500’s. Can’t wait.
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