July 4th - Formal Night

Hi all!

Happy Fourth of July!

Today was a pretty fun day, and thankfully not as busy as the last few days. Breakfast was scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, and beans. In technical communications we discussed essay structures, then I simply ran some errands, like obtaining a notebook for my world religions class.

After running around for a while, I met Connor for lunch. He chose a spot in the Covered Market called Brown’s Cafe. I ordered the jacket potato with bolognese and it was huge and incredibly filling!

Later in the day, we went on a field trip for world religions. We visited the Pitt Rivers Museum, where our goal was to find artifacts that connected to prehistoric, archaic, and historic religions. After our class session ended, I stayed behind to explore more of the exhibits. Then it was time to head back, rest up, and prepare for formal night.

Formal night turned out to be a wonderful experience. It started with a reception in the Exeter College Fellow’s Garden, where we mingled and took plenty of photos. While we were there, I enjoyed some prosecco, both on its own and mixed into a mimosa.

Next, we moved into the dining hall for our formal dinner. When we sat down, there were two bread rolls and seasoned butter waiting for us (served slightly below room temperature so it spread easily). We also got to have plenty of Exeter College’s sparkling water.

The first course of the night was grilled asparagus with parmesan panna cotta, oatmeal crumb, poached egg, and shaved truffle. It was very delicious, especially when everything was combined in one bite. This course was paired with a 2023 Rolle, IGP Pays d'Oc La Combe St-Paul white wine. Since the seat adjacent to me was vacant, I actually obtained permission from the wait staff to eat that plate too. So, I had two first courses!

Up next was a small course to prepare us for the main: crème fraîche sorbet. Cold, tangy, and perfect for cleansing the palate.

The main dish was a grilled beef fillet with a leek and Oxford blue potato cake, sautéed greens, rioja and bone marrow jus, and a watercress salad. This was paired with a 2021 Nero d'Avola Rupe Secca red wine. The beef was cooked beautifully (it practically melted in my mouth) and the potatoes were fantastic.

For dessert, we had a summer berry and hibiscus terrine with raspberry sorbet and raspberry meringue kisses, served with Exeter College’s Fine Ruby port. I’ve never had a dessert like it before; the berries were sweet and bright, almost like a fancy raspberry jam.

To finish, we were served coffee and Exeter mints, a light way to end an amazing meal.

After dinner, we hung out in the JCR (Junior Common Room). Connor played guitar for us, and we all chatted about the adventures we have planned for tomorrow.

Now, to end this section, a little photo dump: 

 See you in the next post!