Balmy weather, a beautiful setting, and bodacious food conspired to make Geography’s 2012 Fall BBQ one of the best ever. The shindig was held at Goleta Beach Park on Friday, October 5, 3:30 pm – sundown, and it provided a golden opportunity for old and new faculty, grads, alumni, and staff to interact with each other in an informal manner. To paraphrase the cliché, a department that plays together stays together!
The Department provided tri-tip, Portobello caps, French bread, and assorted beverages, and most folks chipped in potluck donations as well. Many customers thought that Master Chef Montello’s tri-tip was especially tasty, and the cook had to agree—although he wasn’t sure if it was due to the especially tasty marinade, especially tasty cows, or the assistance of expert meat tender Mr. John Goubeaux of UCSB’s School of Education.
At the same time Geography was having their barbecue, Computer Science held theirs at the other end of the beach. It was noted that they had a professionally catered event, but after all, as someone commented, perhaps that is best for a group of computer scientists–algorithms and culinary success are not natural handmaidens.
Special thanks are due to Professor Dan Montello for organizing the barbecue and performing his usual culinary magic, to Grad Adviser Jose Saleta for capturing some of the activities on film, and to all the Friends of Geography who contributed to the success of the event.
PS: Check out our Event Photos web page for more pictures.
PPS: Rumor has it that after the responsible faculty and staff left, several graduate students entertained each other with a game called “keg standing.” This involves being held above the beer keg by your ankles while you drink beer out of the tap for as long as you can. Apparently, the standard method of using a cup or glass does not suffice. Of course, the Geography Department neither approves of nor condones this activity…
Editor’s note: Many thanks to Dan Montello for providing most of the text for this article.
