I ate haggis at a wedding celebration where the groom is a Scot. It wasn't the wedding dinner, but a Scottish dinner put on by all the Scottish family for the guests - for a taste of home for the Scots and a taste of Scotland for the Americans (it was a destination wedding in the US). I can't remember if someone brought it from Scotland or if they bought it in LA and transported it to the wedding site several hours away. One of the groom's cousins is a celebrity in Scotland and she read the Robert Burn poem, "Ode to a Haggis" which included plunging a knife into it for a bit of drama. (I couldn't understand a word of the poem). As I recall, I expected to be disgusted by the taste, but found it not bad. I wonder if the quality/source makes a difference. The next night, we Americans made an American meal for the guests, many of whom had never been to the US. It was interesting because there were few adventuresome eaters...not many would try the fresh vegetables - everything in Scotland seems to be cooked to death...Jello "salad" was met with surprise ("tastes like dessert, not salad") but I don't blame them there. One thing that struck me was a couple of people who were brave enough to try the olive poppers I made commented that they'd never eaten an olive before. But they loved the haggis!

This is somewhat OT, but as long as we're talking about saltpeter (Potassium Nitrate): During the Civil War, the South had shortages of many items. One of the more critical ones was saltpeter, which is crucial for making gunpowder. A certain Judge John Haralson devised a way to extract potassium nitrate (also called 'nitre') from urine, and commenced upon a crusade to have the ladies of the Confederacy collect the contents of their chamber pots so they could make gunpowder. (I'm not making any of this up. Seriously.) When the word of this effort came out, there were several satirical ditties published. I have take one of the more widely circulated ones and bowdlerized it a bit to help evade the screening software, but I have no doubts that the intrepid denizens of this forum can (literally) fill in the blanks. I "Jno Haralson! Jno Haralson! We read in song and story That women's in all these years, Have sprinkled fields of glory; But never was it told before That how, midst scenes of slaughter Your Southern beauties dried their tears And went to making water. II No wonder, Jno., your boys were brave Who would not be a fighter If every time he shot his gun He used his sweetheart's nitre? And, vice verse what could make A Yankee soldier sadder Than dodging bullets fired from A pretty woman's bladder. III They say there was a subtle smell That lingered in the powder; And as the smoke grew thicker, And the din of battle grew louder That there was found in this compound This serious objection; The soldiers could not sniff it in Without getting an e________n."

The Costco stores in Minnesota aren't carrying the same brands of corned beef they have in the past. I mentioned only a month ago in another thread that Costco for several years sold the Vienna Beef brand of corned beef. I have visited 3 Costco stores in the last 2 weeks and they all had the "Sy Ginsberg" brand at about $3.50 a pound. I looked at many briskets at all three stores. They were all extremely fatty. In fact - the fattiest and most disgusting corned beef briskets I've ever seen. Not even close to the quality of the other brands Costco has offered in the past. Now I know some people like well marbled, fatty corned beef. But I won't be buying my CB at Costco this year. Sushi - perhaps your Costco if offering a different product. I know the products vary by region.

Made this to go with dinner last night. ~~Easy Irish Soda Bread~~ 4 c. all-purpose flour 4 tbsp. white sugar 1 tSP. baking soda 1 tbsp. baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 c. butter, softened 1 c. buttermilk 1 egg 1/4 c. butter, melted 1/4 c. buttermilk 1 Preheat oven to 375*. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. 2 In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an 'X' into the top of the loaf. 3 Bake in preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 30 to 50 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes. Makes 1 1 1/2 pound loaf