Cambridge

I got to experience a different side of England yesterday.

As most of you have gathered, Newcastle is a former industrial shipbuilding blue-collar type town (although surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in the UK).  So it's a bit jarring when you go to world-class metropolis London or other realms in the country that are recognizably British but a whole different universe.  This was confirmed yesterday when I partook of an invitation to present on my research at the American History seminar at Clare College, Cambridge University, home of the Mellon professorship of American history, which is currently held by a very respected scholar of modern Southern politics and race relations who used to teach at Newcastle before he was replaced by the guy who was my PhD supervisor (who himself got his PhD at Clare College, Cambridge--a bit incestuous, but that's the norm in my particular line of work).

The sun kind of messed with my photos, and I only had my iPhone, but I'll try and share. This building is what passes for the dorm for the college, and where I stayed:

If you cross the road you can enter the back way through a greenspace area called "the Backs" with amazing gardens off to the sides of the path:

Then you get to the river Cam, on which the town's name is based, and to the south:

and to the north:

and straight ahead, Clare College (with the steeple of Kings College chapel off on the right):

and through the courtyard--the seminar room is off the door to the left:

I'm a good ol' American boy, of course, and it's a shame that even a place like this has its downsides: the poshness, the surreal "bubble" of an ivory tower and the utter unreality compared to the rest of England.  But even so the history and the tradition and the beauty all make the place "feel" the way a university is supposed to feel, and its absolutely overwhelming when you get to walk through it, and play even the tiniest microscopic role in the academic life there if just for an hour or two, and all the while thinking about who else walked these grounds over the centuries. It was pretty fantastic from that vantage.

Robert Burns & Haggis.

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face, Great chieftain o' the puddin-race! Aboon them a' ye tak your place, Painch, tripe, or thairm: Weel are ye wordy o' a grace As lang's my arm.

Robert Burns is the national poet of Scotland, born 25 January, and Scots commemorate his memory every year through a special evening centered around haggis. I think we made reference to this when we went to Edinburgh last year but, for those who don't know, haggis is a traditional Scottish dish that is basically made of various sheep organs chopped very finely, mixed with oatmeal to bind it all together, and then cooked inside a leathery pouch which is actually the sheep's intestine.

Gotta tell you, kids--it is fantastic. It's got a bit of an oily residue which one might expect, but the effect is very much like a heavy/meaty comfort food, like meatloaf or something. Absolutely delicious. A friend who is versed in the ways of the north of England managed to procure two lovely examples from a decent butcher shop and had me over to sample:


The one on the right had burst as it was cooked, but the one of the left is ripe for goodness, as you can see once it is slit:


And just to make sure it stays moist, you add a couple drops of Scotch to the haggis, and a few more to your glass (that's Talisker 10 year in the pic, which happens to be my new favorite booze if anybody is looking to diversify the liquor cabinet). Roasted potatoes and some mashed neeps (parsnips) completed the awesome meal. The book you see is a collection of Robert Burns' poetry which we recited a few verses of as tradition demands before "tucking in," as the British say:



You powers who make mankind your care
And dish them out their meals
Old Scotland wants no watery food
That splashes in dishes
But if you wish her grateful prayer
Give her a haggis!

PS More info for the kilt-obsessed:

http://www.essortment.com/all/burns_rknw.htm
http://www.worldburnsclub.com/begin/address_to_a_haggis.htm

PPS In case you were wondering, Michelle wants nothing to do with eating haggis.

The World of Podcasting.

Ok. A bit embarrassing to do this, but Michelle is insisting.

A former graduate student of mine was kind enough to include me in a new side-project he's working on now. He's doing a radio series for WRCT-Pittsburgh 88.3 FM called History for the Future, which includes interviews with historians discussing their book projects. Why he chose to slum it by including me, I'm not sure, but anyone who is suffering from major insomnia and wants to hear a bit more about the book I'm (forever) working on can follow this link:

http://www.historyforthefuture.org/wordpress/?p=310

Or can download it on iTunes here:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/history-for-future-podcast/id354075489?ign-mpt=uo%3D6

I confess I've always wanted to be on iTunes. Now if Will Shortz would only fit me into the New York Times crossword puzzle....

"Houston....

....the Ethan has landed."

not quite....

Walking to play squash with my friend, in sub-zero temperatures, but necessarily if outlandishly clothed in a sheepskin jacket, scarf, gym shorts and sneakers ("trainers" in British parlance). A Geordie walking the other way looks at my outfit in disbelief and says to his friend, "He's gotta be a Russian!"

For those of you reading about education cuts....

....in England, yes, my students are pissed (in the American sense, not the British).

To wit, the peaceful takeover of a building on campus:

http://ncluniocc.blogspot.com/

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Greetings to all friends, family, and loved ones! Hope it's a great day--we are thinking of you all!

We've been graced with three inches of snow overnight, as Thomas Turkey is stuffed with seasonings and waiting patiently outside in the cold for his curtain call tonight. R (friend from Columbus) and M are bustling in the kitchen--the apple pie is in the oven and a final run to the market is in the works. I'm fetching coffee for everyone, rearranging the living room, washing dishes when necessary, and generally trying to stay out the way.

We've invited 14 people, although 2 might not be able to make it due to illness, which will be fascinating as we try and cram everyone in our flat. Our menu:

turkey n' gravy
sausage stuffing
cranberry sauce
mashed potato
sweet potato casserole
spinach cranberry pear and walnut salad
roasted veggies

pumpkin roll
apple pie
pecan pie
possibly pumpkin pie.

Going traditional all the way--trying to export a little bit of America 'cross the pond....

Hope everyone has an amazing day! Happy Thanksgiving!