All Things ASE
Food for Thought.
As we welcome our Summer ‘23 cohort, Skidmore professor John Brueggemann describes his summer teaching in Bath last year.
John Brueggemann
Hiya! All right?
In June of 2022, 49 students and five faculty from American colleges made their way to Bath. For me, and I suspect a lot of others, there were some elemental aspects of our experience there that left a lasting impression.
In England there is always time for tea and cake…
Time
Our sense of time had already been discombobulated by COVID-19 (e.g., time on Zoom, time in quarantine, time between vaccines, time away from family and friends). Then we added a journey across time-zones, witnessed thousands of years of history visible throughout the city, dashed around on wide-ranging field trips, and crammed a semester’s worth of work and at least that much fun into five weeks. The second-longest serving monarch in all of history celebrated 70 years on the throne – ‘Platty Jubes’, as young Brits called it. All together, it was disorienting and thrilling.
Summer students in their common kitchen.
Space
COVID shrank our worlds. We weren’t allowed to move around as much. As we’ve inched towards normalcy, many of us jumped at the chance to spread our wings and travel abroad. After our arrival in Bath, the vast space across the Atlantic remained on our minds as some of us waited days or even weeks for our suitcases to arrive. We visitors each occupied living situations different from our homes, often with roommates and common kitchens. We noticed architecture, shops, seagulls, the River Avon (which translates as ‘river river’), narrow boats, stinging nettles, all kinds of people, and so much else as we walked more than usual. And some roamed even further than most (I’m acknowledging your extra exertions, Northampton people). I didn’t miss driving.
Hiking on the Dorset coast.
Bodies
Jetlag sucks. Walking rocks. I am so over facemasks (of course, I’ll wear one if necessary). Swordplay is hard (even if you have an excellent teacher who is an expert on medieval weapons like Dr. Rob Jones). “Roads and rivers'' were the biggest threats, we were warned, but the cliffs on the Jurassic Coast seemed perilous too. I’ve never been so awake as I was swimming early in the morning off Swanage Beach in the English Channel – as a few other hearty souls can attest. Even though I developed comprehensive knowledge of Bath pubs, I left Bath thinner than when I arrived, thanks to Shank’s pony.
Bath is a place where people care about good food.
Food
Bath is a place where people care about the good earth and good food. “Yummy Vegan options” in fast food restaurants, The Nook, Sugarcane Studio, the Bath Organic Garden, and the Bath Farmers Market all get top marks for sustainability and tastiness. “It’s been many years since I had such an exemplary vegetable!” Mr. Collins exclaimed in Pride and Prejudice.
Pubs offered much more than ale. I’m chuffed just thinking about The Raven’s “pint and pie”. Pimm’s Cup, anyone? Fancy a cuppa? Our crew sampled all kinds of fun stuff at The Cornish Bakehouse, La Cremeria, Chai Walla, Bath Noodle, Yak Yeti Yak, The Fish Plaice (in Swanage), Corfe Castle, Borough Market, Camden Market, and other settings.
“Oi! That’s my pint!” John interacting with one of the locals.
People
If you have any curiosity at all, it’s impossible not to learn a ton in Bath. There are literal layers of intriguing history being physically excavated. There are also complex layers of social life inviting the attention of inquisitive minds. As a sociologist, I always regard people as the most interesting subject, even in a UNESCO World Heritage Site like Bath. I crossed paths with so many memorable folks there.
Mortie is a lifelong Bathonian with a strong Irish accent (because his parents were Irish). Paul is from Scotland, has stage four cancer, and is thrilled that Americans appreciate the acting skills of his fellow Scotsmen Sean Connery. They are at The Grapes pub every Thursday for Irish music, or at least were the three times I was there.
I enjoyed hearing the boisterous lads hawking fruits and vegetables on the street near Marks and Spencer. Even though I rarely understood the words they were saying, I found them very persuasive.
I savored listening to the buskers all around – the regulars on trumpet, electric guitar, classical guitar, and vocals, as well as the special combos who showed up for only one day. Magic.
My class and I met several charming septuagenarians at the Bath Organic Garden. They served us cake and tea while explicating their techniques for maintaining a vibrant urban garden and nurturing community, both of which proved vital during the pandemic. We all found their warmth, pride, and exuberance infectious.
‘The best tour guide ever': Andrew Butterworth.
Jonathan Hope declared “Andrew Butterworth is the best tour guide ever”. After eavesdropping on numerous tours and going on two led by Andrew, I was convinced that this wasn’t idle hyperbole. Andrew evinces contagious zeal for history and life, encyclopedic knowledge about his beloved city, and generous curiosity about other people. I call that virtuoso!
The next best tour guide I encountered was a fellow who led Bizarre Bath-Comedy Walk, which I attended twice because I almost spit up my lungs laughing the first time. Sorry to my friends who joined me the second time, which was led by a different bloke and wasn’t as good – though I’m still wondering how the drowned rabbit survived.
We met several pleasant gents who drove us all over the country in large coaches, including one who somehow backed his rig up a narrow, curvy road a proper distance. I thought he was a real pro until I started pondering how we got into that mess in the first place, and found out he had slammed the door on Jonathan. Anyway, he was a nice chap – and we did all make it back safely.
The summer cohort: Students, faculty, and staff.
From my vantage point, the best part of the trip was the people I got to know, including the amazing ASE staff and faculty, and the wonderful American colleagues with whom I was privileged to work. A cracking group of professionals and fine human beings, innit.
I relished being there with students from my home institution, Skidmore. We are still talking of Bath. It was also a special treat to get to know a bunch of students from other schools, and to see them all become friends with one another.
Bath will always bring to mind fond memories of that summer, those people, and all the learning and fun we shared together. As Catherine Morland said in Northanger Abbey: "I really believe I shall always be talking of Bath, when I am at home again–I do like it so very much…. Oh! Who can ever be tired of Bath?"