The biweekly ritual of formal hall begins with the participants, student, instructors, and guests, gathering in the lounge for drinks and conversation. They are generally offered a choice of two forms of sherry (the “sophisticated” dry, and the medium dry) or orange juice. When I've attended, I’ve only had the dry sherry, and have grown quite fond of it. It’s a bit stronger than wine, but it reminds me of my grandmother’s stroganoff and home. This pre-dinner part of the ritual is an excellent opportunity for students and instructors alike to chat, share information, and (since there is always something that even instructors can learn from students) enrich each others lives. After about half an hour of conversation, everyone moved up to the dining room for dinner.
The dining room is transformed from the normal cafeteria scene we see every day to an elegant candle lit, dining hall. Everyone stands until the master of ceremony invites us to sit and enjoy the meal. The meal is a multi-course meal, and most have been amongst the best I’ve ever had. Besides being tasty, the meals are always well balanced and healthy. Conversation is encouraged, as the one of the original purposes of the meals is to create an opportunity to teach and learn the art of conversation. All meals are served with white wine and water. The final course of the meal, dessert, is generally something creamy and decadent: a perfect way to top things off.
However, after dessert, or "pudding" as it’s referred to in the UK, we are invited to join the MC back in the lounge for coffee, fruit, and port. Port is a rather sweet wine, and not bad once gotten used to. The coffee has been nothing but fabulous, and the grapes are quite good. (I’ve not yet tried the other fruit.) As you might guess, there is more conversation and sharing of intellect. It’s fascinating to see people from all backgrounds, nationalities, and levels of education taking advantage of the opportunity to learn from each other.