The Winter Solstice Approaches

Seen today on the streets of Hanover...

One man in black, wearing a sun-god mask.

I've heard rumors of the Dartmouth Sun God, an (alleged) graduate student, who is frequently seen in costume at all hours of the day and night.

Apparently my brother's friend once challenged him to a dance contest at 2AM on the Dartmouth Green. Dan and I crossed the street to avoid him, so we are apparently less open-minded.

First Snow, First Pub Quiz

So Dan was supposed to write this post. Mainly so I didn't have to brag about myself. But, I guess it has to be done...

Saturday was an auspicious day. It was our first truly snowy day, our first day of proper snow and it arrived at the proper time of year. Snow in December is acceptable. Actually, it’s beautiful. The snow started early and lasted all day, steady but never heavy. As we walked up Main Street to dinner, with the twinkle lights twinkling and the snowflakes falling and a thin layer of snow covering the ground, the trees and the oversized Dartmouth Christmas Tree sparkling straight ahead, on the Green… and we were bundled in our warmest winter jackets (mine is awesome!) and snow boots and hats and the moment was absolutely lovely. And sadly impossible to capture on film. Though we tried.

It was the kind of evening where everyone would be home "snowed in" in say, D.C., but of course everyone was out in Hanover.

Which we were happy about because… we had places to be, and specifically Pub Quizzes to attend.

Pub Quiz, for those not familiar, is basically “trivia night.” In Charlottesville/D.C./PA – most everywhere I've ever lived – Pub Quiz is played in restaurants/bars on odd days of the week, generally to draw a crowd. There are several rounds, sometimes themed and teams work to get the most answers correct. Think Trivial Pursuit on a grand scale (with no dice.)

The thing is, I'm awful at Trivial Pursuit. So awful that Dan is (famously) on record claiming: “I’ll play with anyone but Kerry on my team.” This is a true incident from college.

So I wasn’t feeling especially optimistic about Saturday’s Pub Quiz. Even though Dan did agree to be on my team, this time. But, we showed up. Our team showed up (which was a minor miracle, considering one member had three college friends in town. Who as it turned out were total assets to the cause!)

We got off to a rocky start. It turns out geography is not our thing. Even if Rob DOES have a map of the world above his dining table. (It's a map from 1988, which might be part of the problem.) After that, we improved somewhat but it wasn’t until the “music” round that we hit our stride.

And here’s where I get to brag: 20/20!!!!!!!

Wow, you might say. How, you might ask? Well. It turns out I have some crazy music knowledge… actually, it turns out I have some RANDOM music knowledge.

Actually, it turns out I know who Tiffany is. (You may remember her from “Full House” – the Tiffany Live From Tokyo episode – or “How I Met Your Mother” – the Sandcastles in the Sand music video.) Then again, maybe you won’t remember her. Apparently no one else does… (Which, side note, is a slight tragedy. I mean “I Think We’re Alone Now?” Totally a classic!) Nor did anyone else seem to know that Foreigner sings “I Want To Know What Love Is.” And who else can identify “Party in the USA” after one second of play?

(Actually that would be the entire Tuck class for that last one.)

Sadly, we only came in fourth. Or tied for third? Things got a bit crazy at the end… and for that I blame our four Boston College boys – none of whom could tell us who the third wise man was (I mean, seriously, BC is a Jesuit school!) (Third Wiseman = Casper) Also it turns out I’m not so good at identifying company logos. (Only in business school would this be a category.)

Maybe next time. Until then, I need to befriend the quizmaster. Any guy who has Foreigner, Tiffany, and Radiohead on his iTunes must be worth knowing. (I’m giving him a pass for the Miley Cyrus. It is after all, the Tuck anthem.)

Pot Lucks and Peter Christian's

Today's blog is about food. Specifically, it is about cooking and condiments. For those who know me, these are two of my least favorite things. I am a terrible cook and a condiment-phobic. These are well-documented facts. Which is why today's topic is more than a little ironic.

Cooking: One of my most surprisingly favorite parts of New Hampshire this fall has been our improbable potluck dinners. This is how it started. One day, two of the only girls I knew by name invited me to dinner. In a restaurant. I like dining in restaurants. I liked these two girls. So I said yes. We had a lovely time. We said we should do this again. Two weeks later, we did, with one new addition. Two weeks later, we were invited to dinner by the new girl... at her house.

So it turns that Anna (along with her fiance) is basically a foodie and an incredible cook. (We dined on pasta in a pumpkin cream sauce.... so delicious.) But with Anna cooking for five (our group had grown, again) it seemed only appropriate to offer to bring something. And thus the potluck was born.

We have potluck every other week on a Thursday night. Our invitee list is up to ten - all girls and all partners (i.e. the wives/fiances/girlfriends of students,) though usually we have six-to-eight takers, any given week. The host provides the main course and the guests bring the rest. This past Thursday was my turn to host... I prepared cornflake crumbed chicken and potatoes (because I am not a foodie nor a good cook) and, improbably, it was a success.

I love two things about the potluck: 1. The food. I may not be a fabulous cook, but some of the other girls are and I love sampling the variety we see every potluck. 2. The company. We're an eclectic blend, to say the least, which means conversation ranges from "how we met our husband/finace/boyfriend" to... well anything. I think this week we covered mole-removal, doctor phobia, hypochondria (no idea why the medical bent) to stalkers. Either way, it's always a trip. And, although this past week was in my own home, I love seeing where people live, what they've brought to New Hampshire with them.

One girl lives in Old Satchem with linoleum flooring and a circa-1988 Geography Map hanging above her dining table. (I learned last night that her boyfriend picked it up in 2004 from an old elementary school because he needed a window-blind.) One girl lives in the 3-bedroom house around the corner, complete with a fireplace. (So jealous!) One girl lives in a half-house; long and narrow (and her 6'4" fiance has to duck through every doorway.) But it's the cutest house!

So, surprisingly... pot luck is the best. Plus it gives Dan an excuse to go bowling and hit the bar with the boys. ...As if he needs an excuse!

On to the condiments. So, as you may know, Dan is not the first member of my family to attend Dartmouth. Both my father and my brother went to Dartmouth College for undergrad. As a child, we vacationed for part of many summers in New Hampshire. Which clearly involved the requisite Dartmouth visit. I remember many things about these visits, but one of them was my dad's favorite college restaurant. It was called Peter Christian's and it was an old New England pub, located a half-flight down beneath a dowdy clothing boutique. Peter Christian's was famous for it's black-and-tans and... it's mustard sauce. Spicy brown mustard sauce. Ew.

BUT, despite my non-beer-drinking, non-condiment-consuming self, I still loved that restaurant. The food (sans mustard) was good and I've always had a weakness for pub-style (i.e. Brotherhood of Thieves.)

Anyway, several years ago Peter Christian's closed. Today it's a Boloco (a Boston-based, lesser Chipotle.) Not at all the same.

However, it turns out there is another Peter Christian's twenty miles away in New London, New Hampshire. And on Friday we went to see for ourselves. It wasn't quite the same, no half-flight down, no dowdy clothing boutique. But it's all wood interior and corner circular booths were cozy and we had a lovely meal.

And Dan loved the spicy mustard.