So. It’s been almost a month since I got to England, and it is about time I write about what I’ve been eating.

The Brits seem to recognize three primary food groups: potatoes, sandwiches, and custard. To encounter a single meal without one of these three types of food is, to my knowledge, statistically impossible. During one of my first lunches at hall, I went through the line, requesting the vegetarian options, and when I walked out I realized I literally had a plate full of potatoes: curried potatoes, chips (aka fries), and hash browns. That was my lunch. Literally just potatoes.

Those who know me know that I really love potatoes. Like, I can eat a lot of potatoes. But apparently, the Brits love potatoes more than I had ever dreamed possible. Potatoes are offered every breakfast, either boiled or in the form of hashbrowns or both. They are offered every lunch, in the form of chips (fries), more hash browns (left over from breakfast), occasionally boiled or baked, and, without fail, as a significant portion of whatever the vegetarian main meal is. And every dinner involves potatoes, at least as a side (boil ’em, mash ’em, stick ’em in a stew).

Second in popularity to potatoes seem to be sandwiches. Walk into any grocery store, any corner market, any gift shop, and you are sure to find a selection of sandwiches– just regular white or wheat bread, sliced into triangles and neatly packaged, both vegetarian and carnivorous options abundant. While the price of these sandwiches seems to vary from about 1-5 pounds, the quality is more or less consistent. They’re actually quite tasty, and I’ve gotten used to being able to just pick one up as a break from lunch in the hall. In addition to the packaged sandwiches sold just about anywhere, there are a plethora of sandwich shops around town. On the walk from Catz to the Philosophy & Theology Library, I’m pretty sure I pass at least 10 different sandwich shops. One of the most popular is the Alternative Tuck Shop, just down the street from Catz, which sells well-priced sandwiches made to your specification, with a huge selection of ingredients and some killer baked goods to go on the side. I gotta say, the sandwich thing is growing on me. Veggie sandwiches here are pretty darn good.

Finally, there is the custard. I thought I knew what custard was, but apparently British custard is an entirely different thing from American custard. It is very liquidy, and served warm, and you just… put it on everything. Take literally any dessert, and they will drench it in custard. Got some dry cake? Pour on some custard. Spotted Dick? (which, yes, is an actual thing they served: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spotted_dick) Cover it with custard! Apple crumble? Bring on the custard. Pretty much every night that I’ve had the three-course meal at hall, our dessert has involved custard.

Which brings me to the actual experience of eating. Catz has one of the most casual dining halls of the Oxford colleges. We don’t have to book our dinners far in advance, and there aren’t many strict rules concerning how to go about eating. When I first got to Whitman, I was very frustrated by the fact that the dining halls were only open for 1-2 hour intervals at a time– where was I supposed to go for midday or midnight snacks? What if I missed breakfast? I was honestly shocked by how limited my access to food was.

Catz hall hours make those back home seem incredibly luxurious. Breakfast, served every day except Sunday, opens at 8:15 and closes promptly at 8:45. I made it to breakfast a total of 2 times before my desire for sleep outweighed my desire for hot food in the morning (don’t worry, my roommate and I stopped by Tesco’s and grabbed some cereal and milk to stash in our room so we aren’t just skipping breakfast). Lunch, the only meal served every day of the week, lasts from 12:45-1:30, an entire 45 minutes (except for Sunday, when it ends at 1:20). There is not much else to say about lunch.

There is a little more wiggle room for dinner. On every weekday from 6-6:45 you can choose to go to Scaf, which is the appetizing name given to the casual self-service meal for those who have a busy evening and want to grab some food to eat quickly. Scaf is also the only dinner option on Saturdays. On weekdays at 7pm, the bells for hall ring across campus and anyone who wants to can go to the three-course sit down semi-formal meal. Unlike many other colleges, we don’t have to put on robes or dress formally to eat, but we do sit down at four long tables like in Harry Potter, with the High Table in front where the Master, dons (tutors), and grad students sit. As the members of the high table enter, everyone stands up for them, waiting until they have all been seated to sit back down. Then we get served a full three-course meal, which was a really strange experience for me. I mentioned that socioeconomic class seems to be somewhat more strongly marked here than I’m used to at home, and hierarchy of hall dinner is one of those instances in which class came into focus for me. Even without the formalities of many older colleges, the three-course hall meal is nothing like what I’m used to experiencing in the States.

There are actually other types of food, and I have been able to try a few places out in Oxford! But I will need to keep exploring before I can report more on those.

Hugs and love from England, and keep posted for me to add some food pictures to this post when I get the chance!