In the mornings

My day at Oxford started with breakfast in hall which began at 8.15. There were far fewer students at breakfast in hall than at lunch or dinner. Usually, only around twenty turned up at breakfast so that even if I was a bit late I could easily find a seat and did not have to worry that there would be nothing left. Toast and an egg dish were always on the menu plus, varying from day to day, ham, bacon or sausage etc; it was all self-service. Coffee and tea were, of course, also available. Interestingly, perhaps because of the old religious custom of serving fish on fast days, kippers were served on Fridays. I tried a kipper once but found it difficult to remove the bones and I did not care for the taste. My breakfast generally consisted of a slice of toast, some cereal, such as corn flakes, and tea. When there were boiled eggs on the menu I usually took one. Tea and coffee were obtained from urns by the door. The tea was very strong and the same colour as the coffee. The dining hall was only open for breakfast for half an hour. Anyone who overslept could, however, get a late breakfast from the undergraduates’ bar.

After breakfast I used to go to the college office where, if I was in for lunch and dinner, I put my name in the book. If by chance one forgot to do this and was stopped by the steward at the door of the dining hall one was usually allowed in. At dinner on Wednesdays and Fridays Merton students could bring up to three guests and entertain them to dinner in the first floor lobby where the guest table was situated. This was a popular place to dine as the food at the guest table was a good deal better than in hall. On mornings when bookings were taken for the guest table during the following week there was usually a long queue of students wanting to register, but many of them had to put their names on the waiting list. There were, however, generally some cancellations and they might be lucky in securing places.