Fear the Haggis

If you have ever belted out the lyrics to "Auld Lang Syne" on New Years, you've sung the words to one of Robert Burns' most famous poems. The Scotish bard is still a hero in places like Keith, where the Chivas-owned Linn House is located and where we were invited to join in the annual Burns Night Dinner.

The dinner was something I had been dreading, not because I would have to wear a kilt, but because I knew dinner would include that Scottish "delicacy" known as haggis. Basically a giant sheep's stomach of a sausage, haggis is a mixture of chopped lamb heart, kidney and liver. In other words, haggis is exactly the kind of food that makes me gag just thinking of it.

On our flight to London, British Airways in-flight magazine ran an article about haggis titled "It's Offal-ly Good". That kind of cheesy writing was enough to get me wondering about whether I could avoid the haggis but still save face with my hosts.

In the end, I don't know if it was the kilt or the two glasses of Chivas I had for courage, but the haggis was surprisingly tasty and, even better, smaller than expected. It seems even most Scots eat just a symbolic portion of haggis before a main course is served. Now I'm not saying I'd order it off the menu, but I do think that an annual party featuring a kilt, some whiskey and, yes, a haggis, isn't such a bad idea after all.

Check out the Ofoto link at right to see a few more shots from our time in the UK.