Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Random Tuesday Thoughts: Haggis

It is Tuesday. These thoughts are random.

randomtuesday

  • I had haggis last week during my visit to Scotland. It came via the dish Chicken Balmoral, which is a chicken breast stuffed with haggis and covered with a pepper sauce. It was honestly the best dish I have eaten in Scotland. The haggis was very peppery and of course had the rich taste you might expect from sheep innards.
  • I had haggis again on Sunday night. This time it was a haggis croquette. This is a nice Scottish/French way of saying fried sheep guts. I am telling you haggis is awesome! I love it!
  • Good food in Scotland is either described as nice, quite nice, or lovely. Food is not good or tasty. So in the Scottish tradition the haggis was lovely.
  • I went to Stirling Castle during my visit. For those of you who don't know this castle overlooks the fields where the Scottish fought the English for centuries. From there you can see the location of the Battle of Stirling Bridge where William Wallace famously defeated the British. Also in sight of the castle is Bannockburn where Robert the Bruce defeated the English and became Scotland's king. Amazingly historical place. I was honestly so in awe that I forgot to recite my Braveheart line again.
  • I have developed a new term. Instead of using the weather term partly cloudy we shall now use Scottish Sunny. It sounds better.
  • A guy at work the other day asked me if I had any pails. With his accent I thought he said pills. I said hey buddy what kind of guy do you think I am. I don't share my pills with anybody.
  • Every single bathroom I have seen in Scotland has the hand blower rather than paper towels. Apparently paper towels are the devil to the Scottish people. I do however like the blower that has the flip spout that can shift from hands to face with a simple push of the finger. With this model you never need to worry about packing a hair dryer.
  • The hotel I am staying at doubles as a country club. It is no doubt the only country club in Scotland without a golf course, but it still has amenities. The grounds have an indoor pool, hot tub, gym, squash courts, and other perks. I eat every night in the lounge/bar area. I have seen and actually met a certain guy that regularly works out then comes to the bar for a few beers. I saw him recently after his spin class drinking. I think I will start calling this a Scottish workout.
  • This last item really needs no description. I took this picture in the parking lot of Stirling Castle. The southern influence obviously carries a long way. Today I am a proud man.

8 comments:

Brandy@YDK said...

that last picture is hilarious!

PJ Mullen said...

I like the positive thinking of Scottish Sunny. And that is an awesome picture. American pop culture at its best, on a minivan no less!

Gucci Mama said...

Love that picture...but I'm not as in love with haggis. Tried it once; once was enough.

Katherine said...

Okay, the Haggis stuff makes me want to throw up. Even though I've never had it. I like to think I'm a little open-minded about foods, but apparently, that's a lie.

The last pic is AWESOME! Live on Dukes of Hazards!!!!!

Mama Badger said...

If it's not Scottish, it's krappe.

SurprisedMom said...

Love the last photo! No wonder you're so proud.
Haggis? Now I'm thinking I should try it just once, no matter what I've heard. I'll have to ask my niece and nephew who were born in Scotland what they think of haggis.
Sounds like your trip is not all work and no play. Good for you!

Mike said...

Just the word Haggis sounds gross, if they called t bone steak, vomit, I might think twice about eating that also!

Super Mega Dad said...

Awesome picture, man! Bo and Luke Duke forever!