Yes, that’s right. While I generally try to avoid posting pictures of myself (except for the extremely rare occurrence of a flattering shot), and I especially try to avoid pictures of myself eating, it’s not everyday that I get to eat haggis with chopsticks.
This picture was taken in February of 2008. The event was Gung Haggis Fat Choy – a celebration that originated in Vacouver, B.C., to honor both Robbie Burns birthday and the Chinese New Year. Burns’ Suppers traditionally occur on Robbie Burns birthday, January 25, and the Chinese New Year begins any where from late January to mid-February. Often these holiday’s occur on the same night, and so they were combined into this one grand celebration in both Vancouver B.C., and Seattle.
The celebration includes performers representing each of the cultures (and some representing both), bagpipes, drums, dancers – both Scottish and Chinese – and of course, a dragon – and the traditional agenda of the Burns Supper: The Selkirk grace, the entrance of the haggis (the most important part, in which the haggis is “slain”), and then of course, eating to excess, drinking to excess, and dancing to excessively loud music.
Gung Haggis Fat Choy was not possible for us this year, but I’m already looking forward to next year.
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This my random February photo entry for Mama Kat’s Writing Workshop.
As it turns out, I have a lot to learn about packing my daughter up to go anywhere more than 5 minutes away from home. This weekend was the PNW Highland Games in Enumclaw, Washington. We go every year. Every year we get sunburned, eat greasy food, and listen to really loud music – and complain about the unrelenting heat. This year was no different, except we brought along Uncle Timmy, and my daughter, and the stroller, and sunblock, and a cooler with ice packs to keep bottled water and her teething toys cool, and plenty of toys, and plenty of diapers, and several changes of clothes, and oh, good grief I don’t even remember what all we brought. But it wasn’t enough, even though most of the items we did bring were not used. What we should have brought were a bunch of chairs, a canopy, and a solar powered personal air conditioning device (has anyone even invented one of these yet? if not, get on it stat!).
By far the coolest thing that happened in that 100 degree weather was the discovery of a booth selling electric bagpipes. Electric! Bagpipes! Meaning they have volume control, or you can even plug in headphones and the old man can pipe away without making a peep. But that’s not the cool part. Aaron was trying out the pipes, rocking out on a song by the Wicked Tinkers when in walked Aaron Shaw with a huge smile on his face. “Great Job!” he said when my husband stopped playing. Who is Aaron Shaw? He’s the piper for the Wicked Tinkers and he wrote the song my husband was playing. How often does an artist get to perform a work (and perform it well) in front of the person that created it? My husband was riding that high for the rest of the day.
I don’t have much in the way of pictures from the games – nobody tells you how much harder it is to take photographs when you’re trying to keep tabs on a little one. I shouldn’t complain too much, I even had two helpers with me. But in lieu of photos, I will leave you with the Wicked Tinkers on Craig Ferguson. This performance focuses more on the drums for obvious reasons, but these guys are fun
This little error was duplicated on the North stage sign as well.
the band had no end of fun with this spelling error. they kept saying things like “we’re just the prefromers, you’ll have to come back later for the fromers”
People show up at the little grocery tents to pick up the Scottish delights that are so difficult to find around here throughout the rest of the year.
Some of the foods don’t surprise me in the least, such as the canned haggis (and vegetarian haggis), shortbread cookies, marmite, and Irn-Bru (like orange soda but a little less sweet).
Some things just leave me shaking my head.
I don’t do canned peas to start with, “mushy” canned peas is just a little too much.
Salad cream – looks like straight miracle whip.
and of course, no meal is complete without eating spotted dick (surely there’s a pill for that).
UPDATE: We went grocery shopping today and found the salad cream (which still sounds to me like something you would put in your hair) and the spotted dick at our store. Who knew? At least we’ve been spared the mushy peas. I’m sure you’re all relieved to know you can get spotted dick in Seattle.
Part of the ritual of the Highland games is the massing of the bands.
At moment’s like these, it is not difficult to understand why the bagpipes were considered weapons of war.
The piper in the blue and green kilt below is Tyrone. He is the Pipe Major for the Elliot Bay Pipe Band and he played at our wedding. It was at our wedding that my husband decided to start playing the bagpipes and two weeks later he was well on his way in that endeavor. Tyrone was one of his teachers.
Once the bands march in field, they announce the winners of the days competitions and retire the colors
then the bands turn around and march their way back off the field
It’s a deafening, goosebumpy kind of experience.
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