Seikei University Emblem
Seikei-en, originally a small informal school, was founded in 1906 by Haruji Nakamura. Both the School's name-Seikei,(sei ) meaning to make and (kei ) a path,and it's emblem- the peach , have their origins in the 130-volume work titled Historical Memoirs, written by Si-ma Qian in China some 2,100 years ago. Among the many people and historical events written about in this work is a man of great integrity named General Li, whom Si-ma Qian compares to a peach. Just as the sweetness of peaches attracts people, who create a path to the tree, General Li's virtue attracted people to him.
The Arms of Pembroke College
Pembroke College Cambridge, founded in 1347 by Marie de St Pol, Countess of Pembroke, is the third oldest of the Cambridge colleges, and like the Seikei emblem, our coat of arms is likewise steeped in history. The College's coat of arms is formed by halving the coat of arms of the Foundress and her husband, Aymer de Valance and putting the two halves together (they are said to be dimidiated and conjoined.) The arms of the Foundress are on the right, those of Valence on the left.
Pembroke College and Seikei University have enjoyed a special relationship since 1992, when the first group of Japanese students attended a summer course in Cambridge. These continuing programmes offer students the opportunity to take specially designed academic courses in English, and may include English language classes. Students are also able to improve their English skills in social and cultural programmes.
Students are all housed in single rooms in Cambridge College accommodation and most meals are provided on-site during the course. Dining is an important part of College life, and during the Easter course students attend special Formal Hall dinners. These are three-course candlelit meals enjoyed in Pembroke’s beautiful dining hall with fellow students, faculty and PAs, and are a Cambridge tradition dating back hundreds of years.
On Monday evening, in our grand dining hall, we hosted the Seikei Easter course arrival dinner. The menu for the evening was chosen to give our guests a taste of traditional British food.
To begin we served cold smoked salmon, a speciality from the cold coastal waters of Scotland. Typically, smoked salmon is served with brown bread, butter and lemon. Our chefs produced a special citrus powder for last night's dinner, designed to highlight the subtle smoked flavour of the fish.
Following on from the salmon we served a chump of lamb, slow-cooked using our sous vide cooking method, designed to ensure a perfectly consistent medium-rare finish. Lamb, traditionally roasted, is a firm staple of the British diet and is often served with mint, rosemary or red currant jelly.
To round of last night's dinner we served sticky toffee pudding. Sticky toffee pudding is a British dessert consisting of a moist sponge cake, sometimes made with finely chopped dates or prunes, covered in a toffee sauce. The dessert's origins are considered a "mystery" according to the gastronomic journal, Saveur; however, the dominant story is that Francis Coulson developed and served this dessert at his Sharrow Bay Country House Hotel in the Lake District in 1960.
The Lake District
We hope that our friends from Seikei are feeling at home in Pembroke and enjoyed last night's meal.
どうぞめしあがれ
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