Night

 

Royal Mile 

Victoria Street

 Headquarters of Royal Bank of Scotland

 

City Centre: Balmoral Hotel in the shadow of the Waverly Train Station

Barth on Forgiveness

"... let us not nurse our grudges with pleasure ... let us retain some humor with respect to our offenders. Let us have toward others this small impulse of forgiveness, of freedom." - Karl Barth in Prayer

Calling Out an SOS

Oh the cultural differences! They do exist. Even after living here 2 1/2 years, I'm still amused by some of the differences.

Just this morning I awoke with a slight medical problem and called my doctor. After explaining my ailment to the receptionist, she calmly said she could work me in to emergency surgery at 10 til 5. EMERGENCY. SURGERY. What are they going to do? Removing the ailment surgically would entail removing my face.

What's even more humorous is that what Americans refer to as the "surgery room," Brits call "theater" or maybe "theatre." I mean, I know it can be a traumatic experience and possibly entail some drama -- but theater????

Top 5 Dishes to Try in Scotland

# 1 Haggis

 I know I've been talking about Haggis a lot lately .... but it's true: you must try Haggis on your visit to Scotland. Ideally your Haggis (lamb innards, oats, and suet) will be served with neeps and tatties (mashed parsnips and mashed potatoes). However, in these parts -- you could find Haggis on your nachos or stuffed into a bell pepper. It's everywhere!

#2 Cullen Skink Soup

 

Cullen Skink is a delicious, thick soup made of smoked haddock, potatoes, and onion.  Normally served as a starter for a formal dinner, I recommend eating this soup any chance you get! It's relatively easy to find it in a Scottish restaurant, but it's definitely not everywhere. It's so nice and hearty on a cold Scottish day.

#3 Fish and Chips

 

Fish and chips with mushy peas: a classic British dish. In Scotland, the fish is usually beer-battered, fried cod.  However, the fish could also be rolled in oats. Chips actually refers to what Americans would normally call French fries. They're usually quite good and chunky. However, don't expect to use normal ketchup on this dish. You'll want to douse your fish and chips in either brown sauce or salt & vinegar. And don't forget the mushy peas! Your peas could come looking like the ones above or they could be so mushy that they're actually completely mashed. Sometimes your peas might also be mixed with a bit of horseradish sauce.

# 4 Stuffed Potatoes

 

This particular potato seems to be stuffed with cheddar cheese and pineapple. Have I mentioned they'll stuff anything into a potato over here?  Cottage cheese, baked beans, tuna salad -- even pasta salad. The motto here is that anything goes in a potato. It's surprisingly super good. My latest favorite is haggis and cheddar in a baked potato.

# 5 Scone with Clotted Cream

 

Not specifically Scottish but definitely British, scones are like semi-sweet biscuits. They're not overly sweet like a cinnamon roll or danish. They do get quite sweet when you put a dollop of clotted cream and jam on them. And that's a must! According to the Ritz Carlton in London -- the institution of high tea -- the jam is supposed to go on first, then the clotted cream. Thus, the above picture is not in accordance with Ritz etiquette. I do think it is easier to put the clotted cream on and then the jam. But that's just me. And have I mentioned how heavenly clotted cream is??? Clotted cream is simply butter and cream mixed together. Quite possibly one of the best things you could put in your mouth!

I'll be posting soon on the top Scottish desserts to try! Even yummier!

A Few Pictures from the Weekend

Friday night, MBA and I spent the evening with Scotty & Rebecca.

 

Rebecca, Scotty, & MBA with the Royal Bank's Headquarters in the Background

  

 Scotty

 

Rebecca & Moi

Edinburgh: MBA & Old Town

Channeling the Sartorialist? 

I wish!

Regardless, I do like how this picture of MBA turned out. 

This is a fun one, too. On the Mound, you can almost make out New College in the background.

Come March ...

We'll be visiting this lovely place. MBA is thrilled we're going somewhere in the north of Europe instead of the south. Somehow I usually manage to drag him closer to the equator whenever we leave Edinburgh. This time - not so much. However, I'm equally thrilled with this short city-break. 

* Photo courtesy of the talented Gloria Green. If you're in the entertainment industry and need a manager or rep, she's the one to call!

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MBA and I have been reading The Roger Scruton Reader.  I am so pleased to find that he has a blog and a nice website. While he hasn't posted to the blog since December, I'm hopeful there will be intriguing posts in the future. Here's a link to one of his articles in The Times.