Toast the Haggis!

It's Burns Night -- a birthday celebration in Scotland for the poet Robert Burns. The Chef & I have been fascinated with this holiday ever since we heard the Scottish band Camera Obscura on the John Peel show singing their charmingly twee music compositions to his poetry. We are big Camera Obscura fans, and now we are fans of the poet/lyricist Robert Burns.

Here are lyrics to his song "A Bottle and Friend."

There's nane that's best of human kind,
But the cheerful and the gay, man
Fal la la

Here's a bottle and an honest friend!
What wad ye wish for mair, man?
Wha kens, before his life may end,
What his share may be o'care, man?

Then catch the moments as they fly,
and use them as ye ought, man.
Believe me, happiness is shy,
and comes not aye when sought, man.
Nice, huh? Burns Night is quite elaborate and involves a Burns Supper where there is not only haggis eating but toasting and addressing the haggis ("Gie her a Haggis!") along with eating tatties, neeps followed by Typsy Laird for dessert. Don't forget there is also poetry reading, bagpipe playing and whiskey drinking. Note: I had no idea there was vegetarian haggis, but I guess there is! Mmmm, oatmeal and lentils are much tastier than sheep lungs.

We will not be eating haggis tonight for our Burns Supper. However, we will be eating lamb stew (seems Scottish) and roasted neeps (turnips) tatties (mashed potatoes) and again listening to Camera Obscura sing Robert Burns poetry on the John Peel show. I finally found the MP3 after searching through stacks and stacks of unorganized CDs. (let me know if you want a copy!)

Of course the Chef had to make a Bobby Burns cocktail. I don't think that's traditional.

Bobby Burns
1-1/2 oz. Italian Vermouth (the liquor nerd used Carpano Antica)
1-1/2 oz. Scotch whisky (the liquor nerd used Compass Box Asyla)
2 dashes Benedictine

Stir with ice and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist.

Also for the occasion, I rented the Michael Powell film "I Know Where I'm Going" AND Belle and Sebastian's "Fans Only" DVD so we can listen to Scottish accents all night long.

This is a house that loves celebrating theme nights.

"To the Immortal Memory of Robert Burns!"