Feasts

A birthday in the family and a crisis in the office caused us to go to the Hanover Inn recently for a long dinner and a short lunch. At the birthday dinner we had a chance to inspect the newly furbished Inn dining room, and a scan of the surroundings disclosed - in order of sighting - a brighter, airier place; wallpaper with peacocks rampant; a cozy sitting arrangement before the fireplace; a massive wine rack; columns painted in a subtle shade of green, with chairs upholstered to match; brass chandeliers polished to a high luster; a harpist; drinks served by a young woman wearing a "Dartmouth skirt"; a ceiling arched in an artful way to disguise air conditioning ducts; lamb chops; Colonel Sanders, in the vicinity to foster amity and chicken dinners, who ordered oysters; and a fine birthday cake. Our rating: success.

The short lunch, taken in the coffee shop, which is next to the bar: purely in the interest of scientific research, we put the Inn's newest idea, a computerized bar, through its paces. Operated by a human, a bartender, the computerized bar dispenses drinks of all kinds when the proper button (there are 36) is selected and pushed gently. Through the gloom, electronic pulses direct the flow of whisky or readymade martini or whatever up from the basement to a waiting glass and simultaneously produce a neatly coded bill. Two ounces for a Scotch and ice, an ounce and three quarters for a Scotch and soda. The rationale behind all of this is to help the bartender maintain his sanity at busy times (although he still has to know how to mix a brandy alexander on his own) and save money through precisely measured portions and precisely toted bills. Even given our prejudice against computers, the Scotch and ice came out nicely and made the office crisis go away.