Thursday, May 28, 2009

Haggis I'll Eat Anything!

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Main Entry: hag·gis
Pronunciation: \ˈha-gəs\
Function:
noun
Etymology:
Middle English hagese
Date:
15th century
: a traditionally Scottish dish that consists of the heart, liver, and lungs of a sheep or a calf minced with suet, onions, oatmeal, and seasonings and boiled in the stomach of the animal.




Yeah, I'd heard about haggis long before my trip and was secretly dreading the moment when I'd actually be face-to-face, or fork-to-mouth, with the stuff. I shouldn't have been worried. Apparently, a good chef is a major factor in the whole haggis-eating experience and the chef at Musa did not disappoint. Served as an appetizer, this version of the traditional Scottish favorite was served with very tasty potatoes and parsnips.

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If the physical structure housing Musa reminds you of a church, there is good reason for that. Back in the 1880's, it was known as a Catholic Apostolic Church. But, get this, in the last thirty or forty years it has been used as a banana-ripening warehouse! The word "musa" is a species name for the banana plant. (check the walls for banana-inspired artwork)

We were seated at a delightful round table in the balcony, directly in front of our own private stained-glass window. The shape of the table made conversation easy.

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And our perch in the balcony insured that we wouldn't miss the excellent music in spite of a house full of other diners.

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Dig the plaid hosery! She was dressed as beautifully as she played!

5 comments:

R.Powers said...

Neat! You are a brave soul, glad to hear it was tasty.

kristina said...

I don't know what to think about Haggis. The building looks beautiful and I like the plaid hose too.

Kimberlee said...

FC...
After trying a couple of different types of whale blubber, bear meat, and raw caribou, the line between disgusting and good eating tends to blur. :)

Kristina...
The truth is, it wasn't bad at all. That brown sauce helped a lot. I was nervous that it would taste like liver (of which I am not a fan), but it was a little more like hamburger. Not something I'd want to eat every day, but definitely not bad.

I'm glad someone agrees with me about the hose! :)

Bryan said...

We are a believer in trying the local cuisine when we travel, so I can see us at least sampling. STILL want to go to Scotland So bad! Glad you manage to document your trips so well. :-)

Kimberlee said...

Thanks, Bryan. You and Laurie definitely need to go! I know you'd love it, but you'd probably have to duck your head a lot. :)