Tonight we did a taste-test for Gung Haggis Fat Choy™ Haggis Won Ton,
Haggis Spring Rolls, and Haggis Lettuce Wrap. Too much
haggis? Never too much haggis! Everybody was amazed at how
good it tasted. I invited some of the performers and organizers,
dragon boat team members for this special treat. I ordered some
of the food that we were planning for the menu and my dragon boat
coaching buddy Bob Brinson joined me, tired from a day of finishing
work on the Dragon boat go-carts that I had just delivered up to Simon
Fraser University. First up was special chow mein and shrimp
balls with crab claws. Bob, comedian Tom Chin, and my girlfriend
Deb all pronounced this dish a delicious winner.
Also joining us for the taste testing was Opera Soprano Heather Pawsey and her husband Tim Pawsey,
who just happens to be a food critic for the Vancouver Courier.
Due to a communication mistake, the first batch of haggis won ton and
haggis spring rolls came up with only haggis filling. Ugh,
thought my girlfriend and me. But Tim and Heather ate it up,
remarking “This is really good, especially for somebody who likes
haggis.”
Next came the haggis and vegetarian lettuce wrap. Again some
confusion and the haggis came already mixed up with the
vegetables… For the dinner, the two dishes will be served side
by side, so vegetarians can enjoy the lettuce wrap, and haggis lovers
can try the haggis in its traditional state… and then the
fusionista-foodies can choose to mix haggis into their lettuce
wrap. But it tasted very good… the haggis from Peter Black
& Sons is mixed with savoury spices and very smooth, like a nice
liver pate. “A very good haggis,” remarked Tim, the renowned
restaurant and food critic. “Kind of an refined upper class
haggis,” somebody said, “if you can say such a thing,” as we all
reflected on the humble origins of Scotland's national dish.
“It's a West Vancoooouver haggis,” I cooed in my imitation of a BBC
Scottish Brogue, “from Park Royal South, didn't you know,”
affecting a rather stodgy air, learned from watching too many episodes
of Upstairs Downstairs. Next came the imitations of British
accents from Monty Python and Benny Hill, as comedian and co-host for
the dinner Tom Chin joined into the fray.
The re-done dishes of Haggis won ton and haggis spring rolls came back
with the proper mixture of vegetables and water chestnuts. “This
is crunchy,” exclaimed Heather. “This is really very good,” said
Tim when they both tried the new won tons.
“What is haggis?” asked Nick Khystov, dragon boat paddler and volunteer
for the dinner. He and fellow dragon boater Tom Janiewicz had
just arrived as Tim and Heather were leaving for concert rehearsal for
her. Haggis is the lungs, heart, liver of a sheep mixed with
oatmeal and spices.
“This one is like a nice liver pate,” I informed him. Our Russian
and Polish dragon boaters tried it and liked it. Nick and Tom
really brought a wonderful multicultural mix to our Gung Haggis Fat Choy™ dragon boat team over the past two years. They willingly try
new cultural food dishes. Introducing Nick to sangria was a
wonderful experience shared by everybody. As well, they have also
recruited a number of people to the dragon boat team by telling of
their wonderful multicultural experiences learned through both dragon
boating and team social bonding. I don' know any other team
willing eating haggis and hosting a Robbie Burns Day dinner. The
team that eats haggis together stays together…