Happy Birthday Robbie Burns!

So right after writing that post about how I couldn't afford to go to a real Burns Supper, I found a discounted one through the International Office and went with another American exchange student!  It was only £10 for a last minute ticket, so I decided to go for it.  It turned out to be really fun, and was a surprisingly good meal.  The seating was random and we ended up sitting with several Chinese grad students and their Scottish sponsor, who was a really interesting guy (clad in his kilt of course).  The whole procession of the haggis took place complete with a very authentic reading of Robert Burns' "Address to a Haggis" and some bagpipe music culminating in shots of Scotch whiskey for the organizers of the event. 


piping in the haggis

This was the first time I had eaten haggis, neeps, and tatties and I was pleasantly surprised.  Although haggis does not come from the most appealing parts of the sheep (it is finely chopped heart, lungs, and liver in a mixture of oats), it really is just a grainy, spiced stuffing, and it's actually pretty tasty.  They brought out a traditional Scotch soup, which was the highlight of the meal in my opinion and finally Scottish shortbread with coffee.  It was really fun, and definitely a very authentically Scottish experience.


my Burns Supper (haggis, neeps, and tatties, Scotland's national dish)

My favorite part of the meal was definitely the "toast to the lassies" which is meant to be a tribute to the fact that Robert Burns' was a notorious lady's man (he had 13 kids with 5 different women!)  The man who gave the speech was really funny and compared the sexes, ultimately admitting that women are the ones who wear the pants.  He concluded his speech by recommending to the men in the room that they "always have the last word, but never speak it".  The men stood and gave a toast to the women in the room and the women then had the opportunity to respond.  In true Burns style, the woman giving the speech made it into a poem, which was also really funny.

I'm glad that I ended up going, and it was probably the best possible situation for my first attempt at haggis.  I have decided that I will definitely try it again while I am here, as it is clearly a pretty important part of Scottish culture.  So, in the wise words of Robbie Burns, forget what you've heard and "gie her a haggis!"