Editorial #290

Spring trifles and farewells.

Over the weekend, David held a lovely spring dinner in the sunshine. The potluck spread included artichoke dip, chicken salad, chocolate-covered strawberries, teapots of Pimm’s, and David’s delicious cherry and pistachio trifle. Layers of dreamy zabaione and subtle rosemary crumble made the marvellous dessert one for the history books — look out, David’s next adventure may just be The Great British Bake Off.

The trifle, a classic in the ‘70s and your grandma’s annual contribution to Christmas dinner, is perhaps not what you would think of when reflecting on your university career. The very British, unassuming dessert may not, at first glance, provide much room for contemplation and enlightenment. Perhaps we are going through an existential break, looking for meaning everywhere when things are about to change, or perhaps the trifle is a potent metaphor for the university experience. Fruit, custard, and cream. Friendships, sports teams, situationships, rosemary crumble, late nights in the library. 

Much like a trifle, university is anchored in the unexpected and unassuming; with a promising appearance, you can easily plunge into a trifle and find your most-hated fruit. A distaste for the subject you thought was your life’s calling, trust misplaced in the wrong person, darkness at 3pm. Layer after layer, experience after experience. Entering St Andrews as a naive fresher, and doing all the things naive freshers do, is a badge we often look back on with embarrassment. In reality, the experiences stack like the custard in David’s bowl. Layer after layer, four (or more) years of self-discovery. As you plunge deeper into the university trifle, you understand a deeper meaning of friendship, become adept at dealing with a harsh mark, and learn that every experience, positive or negative, means something in the end. You can step back and look at your trifle, with all of its flavours, all of its people, and realise you’ve made quite the ensemble.

When we reflect on our time on The Saint, now coming to a close, this layer of our trifles will be extra rich. The articles we’ve edited, the people we’ve met, the staff. We are both proud to say that one of the driving factors pushing us through 30-hour weeks was the people. The Saint is nothing without the hardworking, talented, dedicated, and truly fun staff members who have inspired us to trudge on. From successful fundraisers to winning SPAs, we are proud of our Saint trifle layer — proud of each other, proud of Hannah & Ilaria, proud of our editorial board, and proud of our lovely staff. 

The Saint has been one of the many layers in our university trifle, and has undoubtedly proven to be the zabaione (which David can successfully make). Get excited for The Saint under Hannah & Ilaria next year and enjoy the final issue of the semester. It’s been a blast. Xx. David and Riley.