Friday, January 24, 2014

#019 You Might Live in Scotland if...

           
 ... your daughters are asked to wear tartan to school to celebrate Burn's Day!
Love our wee lassies and this chance to appreciate another culture. 
There are also many Burns Night Suppers held to celebrate the day throughout the UK which traditionally include haggis, Scotch whiskey, and recitation of poetry by Robert Burns.

One of his most famous poems is the Addresss to Haggis
Don't ask me what it means - I have no idea ;)
1786
Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the pudding-race!
Aboon them a' yet tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o'a grace
As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin was help to mend a mill
In time o'need,
While thro' your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An' cut you up wi' ready sleight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like ony ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin', rich!

Then, horn for horn, they stretch an' strive:
Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve
Are bent like drums;
Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
Bethankit! hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad make her spew
Wi' perfect sconner,
Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him owre his trash,
As feckles as wither'd rash,
His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash;
His nieve a nit;
Thro' blody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis-fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread.
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll mak it whissle;
An' legs an' arms, an' hands will sned,
Like taps o' trissle.

Ye Pow'rs, wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o' fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer
Gie her a haggis!

I attempted a meal like this for our family last January. I know a lot of people who really like haggis. I don't believe I will be one of those people. I tried. I honestly did! 
However, I did liked the mashed neeps and tatties ;)
Front: Neeps (turnips)
Back:  Tatties (potatoes) 
Sliced haggis ready to fry. Although I am told that I should not have bought it already sliced and maybe I didn't buy the right kind?! To be honest, I'm not sure it would have made a difference :)
Haggis cooking 
The final product: tatties(left), neeps(right), and haggis. 
I'm glad we tried it nonetheless. It was quiet the experience. 
And Tim actually really liked the whole meal!

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

#018 You Might Live in Scotland If...

                 .. your 3 year old asks you for beans on toast for lunch :)


Apparently she has it at nursery (preschool) as a snack 
and now it's her new favorite!