The University of Oxford is a public university located in Oxford, England. Founded in 1167, it is the oldest university in the English-speaking world. It plays an extremely important role in British society and the higher education system and has a worldwide influence. The University of Oxford is also the second oldest existing higher education institution in the world. It is rated as one of the first-class and most famous universities in the world due to various factors. For every student who dreams of studying in the UK, entering Oxford University is as exciting as entering Tsinghua University or Peking University. Below is a classmate who successfully applied to study at the University of Oxford in the UK to tell you about the unforgettable memory of dinner at Oxford University. Before I entered Oxford University, I longed to one day dine in a magnificent dining hall like the Harry Potter School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. After coming to Oxford, my wish came true.

In Oxford, the formal dinner, which has a history of hundreds of years, is still an extremely important part of the life and social life of Oxford scholars.

When I first arrived in Oxford, I once chatted with my classmates about what my biggest wish was in Oxford. The answers vary. The most nonsensical answer is to eat school dinners from all the colleges. Everyone laughed it off. After living in Oxford for nearly a year, I realized how "ambitious" it was to have dinner at all 38 colleges during my short and intense master's degree study.

There are dozens of independent colleges in Oxford University, large and small. In addition to providing tutoring for members, the college also provides accommodation and board arrangements for students. The school dinner is the highlight of the school culture. School dinners have very different customs depending on the size, history, financial resources, etc. of the college.

In some universities with many teachers and students, school dinners are "compulsory" every day, while in colleges that only recruit graduate students, school dinners only happen a few times a semester.

Colleges with a long history usually have very strict requirements for the dress code for school dinners, such as a black tie and a gown, while some colleges are relatively casual and only require dressy dress ( smart). In addition, different colleges also have different standards for food and alcohol supply.

The Teddy Hall (St Edmund Hall, also known as Teddy Hall) where I am located has a long history, and the tradition of the school dinner is quite satisfactory. The first time I attended a college dinner was shortly after I enrolled. The college hosted a banquet for freshmen to meet their tutors.

At around 7 o’clock, freshmen dressed as gentlemen and ladies came to the hall, chatting with their tutors while enjoying pre-dinner drinks. At 7:30 everyone sat down according to the seating chart. After everyone was seated in the main hall, everyone stood up, and the dean led the distinguished guests to file in and take their seats at the high table.

After everything was ready, the dean made a speech in Latin, and then the gavel struck the tone, announcing that the dinner had officially begun. A typical school dinner consists of four courses: soup or salad, appetizer, main course, and dessert. The banquet specifications of each college are different, and the biggest difference is reflected in the wine supply.

Some colleges such as Balliol do not provide red wine and you need to bring your own; while Teddy College has "special wine" labeled by the college, which you can drink unlimitedly. Therefore it is highly praised.

After the meal, the guests at the high table were led into the old library by the dean to enjoy the second dessert, coffee and several kinds of wine, and chatted until late at night. The guests in the hall who were still unsatisfied went to the student activity room MRC (middle Common Room), where they also drank and talked happily and never returned until they were drunk.

If you think that Oxford’s college dinners are just for connecting teachers and students, you are totally wrong. In addition to tasting delicious food and wine, the school dinner also inherits and inherits social interactions and etiquette in traditional British culture. This has a certain tacit understanding with the etiquette and music emphasized by Confucius in Chinese culture.

In addition to dress and dining etiquette, talking to new friends around you is also an art. Fortunately, I don’t know whether it was alcohol, or whether it was the fact that Oxford people are widely praised for their eloquence, but I have never encountered such a cold start. Everyone often jumps from self-introduction to the British election, from the financial crisis to climate change, and the chat becomes more and more enjoyable. Often, food is neglected, and it is too late.

In addition, school dinner is usually the finale when friends come from far away, or a good opportunity to deepen the relationship between classmates. Most colleges will open some school dinners so that members of the college can invite family and friends to attend.

At the same time, exchange dinners will be held regularly or irregularly between the colleges, which are open to members of the Alliance College to promote the friendship between the two colleges. In addition to the official exchange dinner of the college, classmates or Chinese classmates also invite each other to attend class dinners in different colleges. ?Did you attend the school dinner today? It once became a popular greeting.

My craziest record in Oxford was attending four college dinners in one week. Experience has proven that in order to attend numerous school dinners, in addition to good connections, you also need a healthy stomach, plenty of energy and plenty of time.

It seems extremely comfortable, but in fact, the price of attending a school dinner is often a night of study time. Faced with the intense academic work that is racing against time, I can't help but be in awe of my friends who have eaten dinner in all the colleges.

One year of living in Oxford is coming to an end, and I have attended less than half of the college dinners. Perhaps this will be a big regret as I recall my life in Oxford.

I will never forget the experience of attending a school dinner in Oxford. Friends who are about to enter Oxford University, are you ready to attend a school dinner?

The above is a British How do international students feel about dinner at Oxford University? Are students who are preparing to study in the UK already full of expectations for their future life at Oxford University?