Graduate students with the program as well as 3 of the Oxford dons and 2 of the faculty for UGA came to my flat for dinner. One of the dons is from Galatia area of Spain and offered to cook. Fifteen people dined on Spanish Tortillas (3 varieities), ensadilla russa and cold tapas (chorizo, cheese, olives and bread). I threw in some ripe tomatoes sliced with fresh basil. We had plenty of white and red wine. And there is a cake shop in the covered market down in city centre where I bought wonderful cookies and shortbread for dessert. Though the party was for the graduate students, they all pitched in and cleaned things up and sorted out the dishwasher and got it started. The other UGA faculty member and his wife came and were to bring dishes from their flat (paper products are hard to find in Oxford) and I only had limited plates. That faculty member decided that he did not want to carry the plates down the block and came empty handed without letting me know. So we ate on saucers and drank out of cups and water glasses and used spoons instead of all forks. Plus we had to wash a couple of plates for the latecomers so they could have something to put their food on. People were very accommodating…except for the other faculty member. Then, this faculty member decided to use my social time in my flat to have a meeting with his graduate student. I asked that he postpone the meeting (it was the graduate student’s birthday) and do it after the social gathering. He persisted. I stepped in and asked that he honor my wishes since it was my flat and my gathering. He persisted. I stepped between him and the student and began asking his wife questions about what she had been doing in Oxford. He got the message. And we question how far behind we are in the United States on etiquette at other people’s expense.
The gathering was great fun and towards the end when people were beginning to leave, I noticed that the graduate student with the birthday had been given a small cake from the same bakery. He had left it in the little box and placed it in the refrigerator. But on top of the cake box he had put his birthday card and his keys. I had a great laugh.
Leara Rhodes 