Boola Boola

Many men in my family went to Princeton but I couldn’t –wrong gender. As a girl, I remember thinking Yale was a terrible place, largely because of football. Over the years, I was dragged to far too many Princeton games, often sitting in Palmer Stadium during rain or snow because my father and uncle were far too interested in the score to deal with a sniveling kid. Games with Yale or Harvard were considered the most exciting; typically, the family males never had a good word for either school.

Times and situations change. Last weekend I went to New Haven to visit a college friend who lives there.  We didn’t take a campus tour but strolled around peering inside several of the residential colleges and spent an afternoon at the Yale University Art Gallery. The permanent collection is wonderful as is the exhibit from the British museum, itself currently closed for renovations. The Donald Blumberg photographs were worth close study, especially those taken outside NYC’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral where Blumberg used the dark of the interior to make his subjects stand out, often choosing to photograph at oddly tilted angles.

Blumberg photo from the St. Patrick’s series

We had a lovely sort-of-brunch at Roia, a restaurant occupyi ng what (I think) was the main dining room in the former Taft Hotel, now the Taft Apartments occupied by Yale-affiliated tenants. Roia retains its original ceilings and manages to effectively combine old and contemporary. Once upon a time, the hotel hosted guests of all stripes, from Einstein to Woodrow Wilson to Babe Ruth as well as many theatrical presences as it was next to the Schubert Theater, site of out- of- town tryouts when these were economically feasible. We also walked past Mory’s, famed as the place where the Whiffenpoof’s still sing on most Monday evenings, now a tad less exclusive and open to those with a Yale connection. (Since 1972, women can become members–large rah.)

Were I college bound today I’d be thrilled to apply to Yale even though it would make my  (often idiotic) forbears spin in their graves. I wouldn’t be accepted but at least blue and white no longer forces me to turn away in mock horror.

Mory’s serves something they call the “Un-Wedge Salad” that’s similar to this Classic Wedge Salad.  Bacon-lovers, rejoice.

1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce (your call on this one. I’d omit.)
1 cup coarsely crumbled blue cheese
Buttermilk or whatever milk you have on hand
1/2 pound thick-cut bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
1 large head of iceberg lettuce, cut into 6 wedges, each with some core attached
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced (or omit.)
Mix mayo, lemon juice, pepper and hot sauce in medium bowl. Add blue cheese and stir until well blended. If too thick, thin with buttermilk (or use regular milk)by tablespoonfuls to desired consistency.  MG’s note: “too thick” is personal. I like it about the consistency of mayonnaise.

Cook bacon in large skillet over medium heat until golden brown and beginning to crisp. Drain well.
Arrange wedges on plates. Spoon dressing over. Using slotted spoon, transfer warm bacon from skillet onto salads, dividing equally. Garnish with red onions–or not. (and if the bacon isn’t warm, that’s OK as well.)
Whistle the college song of your choice and serve.