Burns Night or Robert Burns Day in Taiwan is as Scottish as Mel Gibson
in Braveheart.
But that shouldn’t stop anyone from celebrating the anniversary of the poet’s birth says Mark Goding of Mr Sausage’s Kitchen: “It’s not so much about being Scottish, but about having fun and enjoying fellowship and being proud of who you are.”
His version comprises a haggis dinner, including clapshot, or potato and turnip mash (NT$280), on Monday night.
Goding procured the necessary sheep bits: lungs, heart, liver, kidneys, the “pluck,” as it’s known. He ground the offal up with oatmeal, added spices and whisky, stuffed the mixture in a sheep’s stomach, and then boiled and roasted it.
Specials include Belhaven stout (NT$200 for a 500cc bottle) and Belhaven lager (NT$160 for a 500cc bottle). Though the bar stocks The Famous Grouse, patrons are encouraged to bring their own water of life, “as long as they don’t mind sharing,” said Goding.
Mr Sausage’s Kitchen is located at 5-1, Alley 4, Ln 12, Bade Rd Sec 3, Taipei City
(台北市八德路三段12巷4弄5-1號)
Tel: (02) 2579-0396
Down in Kaohsiung, Foster Hewitt’s pub and grill is holding its third annual Robbie Burns night on Jan. 30.
Advance tickets are NT$500, available from the venue. At the door, entry is NT$600.
Admission gets patrons one drink, a plate of haggis, or meatloaf, and roast vegetables, followed by homemade trifle and scotch whisky samplings of five brews, said proprietor Luke Weir. Timothy Higgs is on Address to a Haggis duty for the evening.
Foster Hewitt’s is located at 30 Wenjhong Rd, Kushan Dist, Kaohsiung City (高雄市鼓山區文忠路30號)
Tel: (07) 555-0888
On the Net: www.fosterhewitts.com
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