February 18, 2006
Me and Dale Seago at a recent Rabbie Burns Birthday celebration
Meant to put this up a few weeks ago: me and Dale Seago at a recent (21 January 2006) Rabbie Burns Birthday celebration in front of San Francisco's Edinburgh Castle Pub:
It was busy that night: I managed to snag the last booth upstairs in the mezzanine area, with a sightline into the area where we expected the haggis to be piped in. It took an hour and a half to get our fish & chips, which were worth the wait; they're made at some nearby mom & pop shop and delivered in. In the meantime, we enjoyed a few of the most excellent Belhaven peat-smoked ales, my first time trying that, and I thank Dale for introducing it to me.
The festivities were well worth the trip up to the city. The piper was very good - and looked every bit the part, wish I'd snagged a good shot of him - and the Burns poetry readings were rousing, marred only ever so slightly by some rather self-consciously narcissistic political posturing on the part of a (I'm not making this up) Scottish socialist lesbian Buddhist working class nun.
The night culminated in a hearty reading of "Address to a Haggis" followed by a free-for-all of flying forks in a frenzy of delectation. I managed to snag a small amount, happy I had any, and returned to the booth to enjoy it... and discovered to my gratitude that Dale had managed to snag double servings for both of us! I quite enjoyed it, and may even keep a small stock of it in cans for emergencies.
Posted by Russell Whitaker at February 18, 2006 07:12 PM | TrackBackAye an' ye were lookin' braw in yer kilt, lad. :-)
Now you just have to get a dirk, since wearing a kilt is one way you can walk around wearing a great honking piece of cutlery without anyone thinking anything of it -- you can see the haft of mine by my right hand; the sheath was made so that it comes out in a reverse-grip draw, edge forward, which is practical with a blade near 14 inches as that one is.
Did I tell you about the brass-handled repro version made by RitterSteel? I've seen a photo of the historical one this was probably copied from, and this looks like a good version of it. It looks like the most bang for your buck unless you want to go to a custom maker, and you can find it for $118 at http://www.knightsedge.com/knives/scottish-dirk.htm
By the way, if you're thinking of keeping some canned haggis on hand, the Highland Beef haggis from Caledonian Kitchen here in the US is a good one (http://www.caledoniankitchen.com/catalog/). They usually have a booth at the various Highland Games in the Bay Area if you want to get a few cans without having to order it. I assure you it's not just for Burns Night -- It's great fried up like corned beef hash and topped with eggs of a morning.
If you want it freshly prepared (in the US) and shipped to you, then this is the place: http://web.mawebcenters.com/lambetc/productCat30584.ctlg You can get varying sizes, all the way down to individual-serving links. . .It *is* a sausage after all. :-)
Posted by: Dale Seago on February 18, 2006 08:47 PMRussell, most impressive photo! I went to a Burns' night in Fulham, west London about 6 years ago, danced with a lot of rather ravishing women in Highland gear, drank a lot of Scotch whisky, and had a great time. As a liver-protector in these situations, I recommend the supplment milk thistle, which you can take with plenty of water before going to bed.
Fraid I cannot enjoy haggis though. I prefer good venison.
Posted by: Tom on February 19, 2006 07:31 AMSomething I forgot to mention about the piper, Jek Cunningham: He was the piper in Mike Myers' pre-Austin Powers comedy *So I Married An Axe Murderer* (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000IQBW/103-3370747-3390259?v=glance&n=130). Part of the movie, a wedding reception, was filmed at the Edinburgh Castle, and a lot of it at Dunsmuir Estate in Oakland (which hosts a Highland Games event every July).
Posted by: Dale Seago on February 19, 2006 04:15 PMAh yes, the infamous "Piper down!" :)
Posted by: James on February 19, 2006 10:02 PMRussell, did you ever make it to Edinburgh when you were over in Britain a decade ago? Not a bad place for a weekend and the castle is well worth a visit with an amazing collection of swords.
Posted by: Tom on February 20, 2006 03:54 AM