Party in a Norwegian Tipi

Picture this… It’s a Thursday evening. I am in Norway...in the woods...in a tipi...sitting on reindeer pelts...at a Norwegian beer tasting and feast.

This was the evening that the business school held their annual end-of-the-year faculty party and we got an invitation. A chartered bus picked everyone up at the University and the dorms where we are living this summer and then took the crew on out into the woods. Once we arrived, I drifted over to a group of Norwegians I had not yet met and settled in for the evening’s event. For starters, we had presentation followed by a beer tasting. The beers came at a steady clip and the alcohol content of each beer was more impressive than the last. When I made a comment to this effect to the person next to me, he smiled and told me that drinking in Norway comes with both an expectation and a responsibility. I am happy to report that I lived up to both. Next, we were divided into groups, led outside, and given our assignments. One group was in charge of cooking the meat, another preparing and cooking the potatoes, another (my group) the vegetables, another serving the tables, and so on. In short order, all of the elements were prepared and assembled into what became our (very delicious and bountiful) feast for the evening. The wine flowed during dinner and after a time of laughing and socializing we were led back onto the bus and taken downtown for the post-party party, where a good time continued to be had by all.