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January 25, 2007

Burns Night

In Honour of Robert Burns, the great Scottish poet, whose birthday we celebrate today and who wrote the following in praise of his favourite dish:

Ode To A Haggis (roughly translated from old Scots)

Fair is your honest, happy face
Great chieftain of the pudding race
Above them all you take your place
Stomach, tripe or guts
Well are you worthy of a grace
As long as my arm.

The groaning platter there you fill
Your buttocks like a distant hill
Your skewer would help to repair a mill
In time of need
While through your pores your juices emerge
Like amber beads.

His knife having seen hard labour wipes
And cuts you with great skill
Digging into your gushing insides bright
Like any ditch
And then oh what a glorious sight
Warm, steaming, rich.

Is there that over his French Ragout
Or olio that would sicken a pig
Or fricasee would make her vomit
With perfect disgust
Looks down with sneering scornful opinion
On such a dinner.

Poor devil, see him over his trash
As weak as a withered rush
His spindle-shank a good whiplash
His clenched fist the size of a nut
Through a bloody flood and battle field to dash
Oh how unfit.

But take note of the strong, haggis fed Scot
The trembling earth resounds his tread
Clasped in his large fist a blade
He'll make it whistle
And legs and arms and heads he will cut off
Like tops of thistles.

You powers who make mankind your care
And dish them out their meals
Old Scotland wants no watery food
That splashes in dishes
But if you wish her grateful prayer
Give her a haggis.

For further information please see: haggis

Posted by j and b at 10:25 PM | Comments (1)

January 12, 2007

A Sad Farewell

I bought a new brolly today. That's Scots for umbrella, in case you're wondering - I think it's such a lovely word. It almost makes the rain bearable...Anyway, as I was exiting Woolworths with my new purchase this sadness came over me - a feeling that I had betrayed an old friend.
My mom bought me a nice, shiny umbrella only a couple days before J and I moved to England, 2 and 1/2 years ago. It was perfect, just the right size for me, and - best of all - it was bright pink. This lovely little thing has been my trusted companion all through the dreary months of our British sojourn. It's color has brightened countless moments and its sturdiness, while not always preserving my coiffe, has certainly kept it dry and warm.
But alas, in the terrible storms before Christmas it finally gave up the ghost. How would you like to spend most of your moments out of doors being thrown inside out by violent and unfriendly winds?
So now I move on from my grief, eyeing my new purchase suspiciously. Will it be as faithful? Only time will tell.
For now I take comfort in knowing that mine was the best little brolly in all of Scotland.

Posted by j and b at 05:24 PM | Comments (3)

January 08, 2007

A Black Christmas

The town of Las Cruces, New Mexico is not usually at the top of the average American's holiday destination list. Come to think of it, there aren't too many places in the whole state that make it onto said list, but who's keeping track anyway? But to me Las Cruces will always be very important. It means the pecan rolls for which Josh's dad has earned quite a name for himself. It means getting to eat an inordinate amount of red meat (sorry, honey, that will have to last you for the next 12 months). It also means Josh's hometown, the place where he spent the first 17 years of his life, the site of countless soccer games, his home church and, best of all, his family.
This year was no different. In fact when I say family, I mean all of us: all the aunts, uncles, cousins, grandkids and great-grandkids of the Black family (Josh's mom's side). Grandmother Black, recently turned 90 years of age, welcomed each of her four children and all of their offspring, spouses included, from all areas of the world - J and I got the most points for coming the farthest distance. That totaled 66 who made the pilgrimage to the Marriott hotel in Las Cruces. (Well, 66 doesn't include the second cousins who came along as well...) I have never seen anything like it.
I entered the family late (I'm number 40) and am still getting to know the various family dynamics, but I am still amazed at the capacity this family has for enjoying each other. Cramming over 50 adults and half as many children under the age of 10 into one room for games, songs, chat and food doesn't usually fit my idea of a swell time. But I'll be the first one to say, it was a blast! All the work that went into the weekend - all the planning, feeding, cooking, feeding, purchasing, feeding, organizing, feeding - it was all worth it. It worked! We had so much fun.
So, next time you hear those dreaded words "family reunion" floating around the general conversation and you are tempted to run screaming from the room, remember, it might just be the most fun you've had in a while. I've got the t-shirt to prove it.

Posted by j and b at 05:26 PM | Comments (9)