BURNS SUPPER

We are definitely doing the CLOD life. CLOD standing for Cruisers Living On Dirt. We are all settled in and busy with all kind of projects, whether for boat, our casita or for Binnie. It keeps our mind off not being on the boat, which we really miss. But this is a good setup and we feel really lucky to have fallen into this wonderful situation of being able to live in this cute little house. 

Backyard

Front yard

We enjoy our daily cocktail with Binnie on her patio with incredible view over the whole bay then have dinner in either house, where ever I choose to cook that evening. Cooking is my passion but I have never had so much fun at it as here. Both Sid and Binnie are wonderful to cook for and I sure love her kitchen it has all kinds of gadgets a kitchen just could have. We are a happy family.  

  

Mid January Binnie left for a cruise around the Horn and so we were alone on this huge property for 3 weeks and busy getting a few projects done for Binnie before she returned and feeding the 2 dogs, 1 cat and the sloth. Sid had started with boat projects but we still had to watch the weather and time it right to get out to the boat. The weather has settled in and is blowing mainly from the East and keeps the nasty waves from coming in here.

Panama has a lot of history and we didn’t expect getting thrown into out of all some Scottish history. Jim and Heather, we had met them also 11 years ago when we were in Pedro Miguel, at that time they were just taking over the management of the Club when we left and here they are now. 

Jim and Heather organize “Burns Night” or “Burns Supper” every January 25^th at Binnie’s and we are sure glad we could join this year. What an incredible fun event. 

An amazing amount of preparation went in to this deal. Jim, Heather and Cindy worked all week on this, we helped getting the tables set up and with other odds and ends; it sure was fun.  (click on photos to enlarge)

Jim getting printing poems and clan cards

 

Scottish dance steps by Heather

Manuela's table napkin art

Heather cooking

Burns Supper is a Scottish celebration and has been of the Scottish culture for about 200 years. It’s a night to celebrate the life and works of the national Robert Burns or also known as Rabbie Burns. When Burns immortalized haggis in a poem, his close friends a few years after his death in 1796 started this ritual as a tribute to his memory. Suppers can range from an informal gathering of friends to a huge, formal dinner full of pomp and circumstance which is celebrated worldwide by Scotsmen. 

Ours was very formal, every boat bum was dressed up with their best cloth and even the wrinkles were ironed out.

Usually a big-time Burns Night calls for a piper to welcome guests, but since we’re in Panama it’s a little hard to find a piper, instead Jim and Heather had some traditional Burns music running in the background as we enjoyed cocktail and appetizers made by the guests. The variety was incredible and everybody outdid themselves with elegant dishes from lox to pate and one lady even smoked her own fish and cheese, yummy. 

Appetizer table

When all guests had arrived we were asked to take our seats at the nicely decorated and set up tables. Again in Scotland a piper plays until the high table is ready to be seated, at which point a round of applause is due. At a more egalitarian gathering - with no high table - the chair can simply bang on the table to draw attention to the start of the evening's proceedings.

Jim then warmly welcomed us and introduced some of the assembled guests especially the newbie’s. Then the event is started with the Selkirk Grace which is a short but important prayer to usher in the meal. The Selkirk Grace is also known as Burns’ Grace at Kirkcudbrightough:

Some hae meat and canna eat,

And some wad eat that want it,

But we hae meat and we can eat,

And sae the Lord be thankit.

Guests then are asked to stand to receive the haggis. Again in Scotland a piper leads the chef, carrying the haggis to the top table, while the guests accompany them with a slow handclap until the Haggis reaches its destination the head table. The music stops and everyone is seated in anticipation to the address to a Haggis. Since none of us were Scots of course we didn’t know the rules and anticipated the haggis drooling. The haggis should be served in a silver platter; we were all fooled by a stainless steel dish Heather was carrying. 

 Then Jim seized the moment of glory by offering a fluent and entertaining rendition of Burns' famous poem “To a Haggis”, with great enthusiasm. Jim had his knife poised at the ready. On cue (An’ cut you up wi’), he cuts the casing along its length, making sure to spill out some of the tasty gore within (trenching its gushing entrails).

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o' need,
While thro' your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An' cut you up wi' ready sleight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like ony ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin, rich!

Then, horn for horn,
they stretch an' strive:
Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve,
Are bent lyke drums;
Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
"Bethankit!" 'hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi' perfect sconner,
Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him ower his trash,
As feckless as a wither'd rash,
His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit;
Thro' bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread.
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll mak it whissle;
An' legs an' arms, an' heads will sned,
Like taps o' thrissle.

Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o' fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer,
Gie her a haggis!

Robert Burns 1786

The recital ended by Jim raising the haggis in triumph during the final line “Gie her a haggis”!, which the guests cheered with rapturous applause. 

Heather, the whisky-bearer, made the round and filled up all our shot glasses to the rim with whisky to ensure the toasts are well lubricated, then we toasted the Haggis and Jim served each individual guest. 

By the way Haggis is made of the heart, liver and lungs of a sheep or lamb, combined with oats, suet (raw beef or mutton fat, especially the hard fat around the loins and kidneys) and other herbs and spices, then cooked in a casing traditionally made of the animal's stomach. Kind of like a huge round sausage. To most the ingredients don’t sound appealing but it really has a very pleasant flavor. 

Each table had a selected wench that helped bring the wonderful platters of food to the table and everybody dove into the food:

A typical Bill o' Fare would be:

Cock-a-leekie soup

Hagis warm reeking, rich wi’ Chamit Tatties,

Bashed Neeps

Clootie Dumpling (a pudding prepared in a linen cloth or cloot) 

or Typsy Laird (a Scottish sherry trifle);

A Tassie o' Coffee

The Wenches

 

After dinner an invited guest, is asked to give a light-hearted speech.  Originally this was a thank you to the ladies for preparing the food and a time to toast the ‘lasses’ in Burns’ life. The humorous highlight of any Burns Night 

comes in this toast, which is designed to praise the role of women in the world today. The toast concludes: To the Lassies!

Jen and Dan

Then it’s the turn of the lasses to detail men's foibles. This toasts were done by both Dan and Jennifer, oh man was Jen's funny.

Then another guest read a Burns poem, followed by a French guest reading a French poem, of course none of us understood anything he said. Sid read an American Poem then dessert was served, ice cream and homemade mango sorbet.

The party took its peak by Jim and Heather teaching us the traditional Scottish line dancing, which was a bit confusing at the start but everybody learned fast and we had a blast. This was such an unforgettable evening we talked about it for days and still are, we can’t wait to join the next years Burns Supper.

Great job you two thanks!!!