Ever wondered how cuisines across the globe evolved? Like why do a certain people from a certain area consume a certain food? Or even prepare items in a certain fashion? Well, look no further than things like the natural resources available for that region of the world or even the climate and you may find some answers. Never underestimate a local climate’s influence on diet. Is it mostly hot, mostly cold, or in-between? Do religious beliefs have an influence on what certain folks consume? Absolutely! We have that going on daily even in the United States. [I’m reminded of the Jewish people and their Old Testament way of life.] These are all driving factors as to why humans consume what they do to stay alive. I must add that some of what we eat is downright despicable and yummy at the same time. In France they eat snails while in Japan they eat seaweed and octopus and a host of other odd things raw while in Mexico you can always find a good cow brain taco [well scratch the “good”]. 🙂 Last night I ordered fried calamari and I especially like the pieces with the tentacles because these have the best flavor and texture.

Are we sick f*ks? Kind of, well maybe but wait, probably not. Here’s one explanation [to the rescue]. We’ve been captured and held hostage by that region of the world we find ourselves in. Shown above is an appetizer I ordered on the final dinner night from my recent trip to Scotland. This is a Scottish staple known as Haggis, Neeps and Tatties. I had tried Haggis once earlier on the trip during one of those breakfast buffets and didn’t care for it. However, at Howie’s Restaurant in Edinburgh this particular night I decided to try it again one last time and it was delish, I ate the whole thing! Remember the old saying “you never want to know how sausage is made”? Well, turns out Haggis is one of these “sausage-making” stories. In fact, if you ever want to try Haggis I recommend never looking up how it’s made! I did this and that was mistake number one. My mistake number two was to try it at a hotel buffet. Instead, order it at a good quality restaurant, lesson learned. Haggis is a soft sausage consistency made from a few of the internal organs of sheep. That’s all you need to know right there… and hopefully by the time you find yourself in front of one with surrounded by that succulent gravy you’ll have completely forgotten this and what you read here. 🙂

Since Tatties in Scotland are the same as potatoes in the U.S. we’ll move on to identify “Neeps”. Chances are you’ve eaten but never even purchased a Neep in your entire life. I think I bought a Rutabaga once and it was a lifetime ago at my local grocery store, I still can’t explain what got into me on that day or what I may have been smoking. Rutabagas are a slow growing root vegetable that does best in cool climates so it’s no wonder they will do quite well in the U.K. You see, Scotland is located on the same latitude as places like the panhandle of Alaska, Canada, Denmark and Sweden. So it’s generally cold there [by our standards] even in the Summer months. Which is why you will find many of these traditional Scottish dinners served surrounded by warm gravy. And these Scots have the gravy thing down, whether you order beef or baked chicken it’s going to be about the gravy and this is a good thing because I found much of the cuisine there is absent of [familiar American] flavors and spices, but not their gravies. A good Haggis will come with a bit of a spicy hot kick. The only thing I ate that even tasted salty on the trip was the English version of American French fries… so when you whisk off to Scotland, be sure to pack that lunch. Never mind, you’ll be just fine, I promise. When in Rome do as the Romans do. You know the drill, let’s get you past Go and Collecting that $200! Suck it up early partner, go on and order those damn Haggis, Neeps and Tatties!

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