International Café and Oktoberfest TG

Friday October 19 saw two really great events at the b-school: the International Café and the Oktoberfest-themed TG.

The International Café was, appropriately, held at the very atmospheric Café Allegro on 15th Avenue in the U-District. It was a chance to learn about other countries and their cultures, and there were excellent presentations on their home countries from Japanese and Korean students.

After this, Veena and I did a little introduction to Germany and the Oktoberfest - despite neither of us actually being from there! Fortunately, at different times, we had both lived in Cologne (Koeln is the German spelling) so had a good understanding of Germany and its culture. I also had the fortune to briefly attend the famous Munich (Muenchen) Oktoberfest a few years back. So with virtually no preparation, in typical MBA-fashion, we provided the audience with an insight into some German customs and traditions as well as the Oktoberfest itself.

Happy and caffeinated, we headed back over to the MBA Lounge for what was certainly the busiest TG I had experienced in my time here... It was good to see selected guests from other parts of UW, not just the b-school, but who also take classes here.

Tareyn and Co. had, as always, done a fantastic job of organising everything... There was plenty of beer flowing and the beer kegs, although they could not be seen directly, were identifiable by the crowds of people assembled around them in the kinds of poses required to inspire the amber liquid into their UW-branded glasses. There was German-themed food, including bratwurst, potato salad (Kartoffelsalat) and a whole host of other delicious things which unfortunately escaped my attention because Veena and I had other concerns...

In an attempt to bring even more Euro culture to the occasion, we had undertaken to introduce UW to gluehwein (a heated spiced wine also known as mulled wine or gloegg if you are more familiar with the Scandinavian variety). It translates directly as "glow wine" - because, as well as tasting delicious, it has an effect not dissimilar to wearing a North Face jacket in a heated room, but without the expense of buying one. In other words, it's great for keeping you warm on a cold day! And on an unusually chilly Fall evening in Seattle, it was most definitely well-timed.

This was the first time that gluehwein had been made at a TG, and armed with two "crockpots" kindly loaned to us for the evening by Beth and Sarah we embarked on our mission. Several bottles of red wine and assorted spices later, and with the crockpots set to full power, we waited for the mixture to reach its optimum serving temperature. Then we waited some more. We hadn't realised quite how gently crockpots heat their contents. Anticipation mounted, would-be customers became intrigued. "Just a little while longer" we told them. After the best part of an hour, and after thorough quality testing on behalf of the two chefs, it was ready to go.

"Would people like it? Would it catch on? Would the crockpots enable sufficient economies of scale?" we wondered. We needn't have worried. In true MBA-fashion (again), we had a plan. The first test customer was suitably taken with our initial attempt, so we co-opted them as part of our viral WOM marketing campaign. Customers loved our product and came back for more, but not before telling their friends how great it was. Demand increased, more and more customers stopped by, but supply was limited. Thinking to our microeconomics classes, we realised that we were in a monopolistic position so customers would just have to wait. Fortunately we were giving the product away for free so we managed to avert any fears of potential antitrust action.

Marketing had generated the interest, but could our operations scale up quick enough to meet customer demand? For the next couple of hours we maintained a steady output and steady stream of customers, many of whom were keen to learn more about Germany and the secrets of the gluehwein. At one point, several of our German speakers (myself and Veena included) took to speaking in German although it wasn't clear whether this was to add to the atmosphere of the party or to covertly discuss the gluehwein recipe.

Finally we had exhausted our supplies of raw materials, the TG was about to end and people were leaving. Suddenly supply had exceeded demand and we had a surplus, so those customers remaining to the end benefitted from extra-large servings.

All in all it was a great evening, and the gluehwein was an unprecedented success. We headed out into the cold and darkness of the Seattle night emboldened and inspired by our experiences and, in no small part, by our own consumption of the gluehwein.

In the true spirit of sharing, we include our recipe below and hope that gluehwein can become a regular feature of the TG especially in the Fall and Winter quarters!

Prost!!!

Disclaimer:
Please drink responsibly. Make sure your friends are just as drunk as you are.

Ingredients:
Red wine - merlot, shiraz or similar (preferably not too expensive)
For each 750 ml (3 cups) of wine:
1 stick cinnamon
6 whole cloves
Rind of half a lemon
2 to 4 table spoons table spoons of sugar
Cardamom pod (optional)
Rum, brandy, vodka or schnapps (optional)

Break cinnamon sticks into three or four pieces. Remove rind from lemon in large pieces or one long piece. In saucepot over medium-low heat, combine wine, spices and 2 table spoons sugar. Heat 1/2 to 1 hour, but do not allow to boil. Longer heating brings out a warmer, more cinnamon flavour. Taste and adjust sugar. Serve, adding a shot of rum or schnapps if desired.

Notes:
We didn't use cardamom or rum, brandy, vodka, schnapps etc.
We used a few bottles of gloegg (from Ikea) as a base.
It's also possible to get sachets of the spices (kind of look like tea bags) from selected wine merchants/supermarkets.

More info here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulled_wine