Slims Pickins: You’re kilting me!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

By Tyler Alford

Jackson Hole, Wyo.-If you were wondering about that constant ta-tat-tat-boom drum roll and the bree-wee-ne-ne-nee squeal floating across the valley Friday and Saturday, it was a call to arms: Come down from the highlands and battle the tyranny of Longshanks and his British army!

Actually, it was the 10th annual Scottish Festival, a summer highlight for ‘Skinny Malinky Longlegs’ (yours truly) for the past three years.
I called my good friend Saturday morning to remind him of the games, and we rode our bicycles over to the fairgrounds to catch some of the rich heritage, sights and sounds of the festival.

While the Town Square buzzed with tourists and local bands, and while Miller Park clogged itself with art-seekers, a small faction of bagpipers, drum liners and Highland games enthusiasts gathered to compete, celebrate, eat and drink.
We arrived just in time to see all of the competing clans gathering together to march across the vast field playing in a massive and raucous celebration of the games, in general. Well more than 150 bagpipers and drum players played under the direction of a lead drum major to officially declare the Highland games open.

Once the unit broke, the log-tossing games and kilt-weaving resumed as my friend and I found our way to the food tent. Snake River Brewing was serving Scottish brown ale and Scottish stout, and a catering group from Salt Lake City was serving traditional Scottish fare.

At first, we were disappointed to see that the meat-pie tent was not back, but were thrilled when we learned the group was serving Scottish eggs, fish and chips and of course, haggis. If you haven’t ever heard of haggis, it is traditionally sheep’s pluck (google it) that is simmered in the animal’s stomach for at least three hours. It requires a great deal of stock, spices, vegetables and salt to achieve a flavor that is tolerable to the average palate.

I’d had haggis before, during what was arguably a bad experience, but I decided that in order to honor the genuine nature of these Highland games I would have to try the dish again. I also picked up a palate-cleansing pour of Balvenie 12-year Doublewood scotch. The haggis was what I remembered: chopped and stewed and served over mashed potatoes. The full-mouth flavors of sheep innards left an iron aftertaste in my mouth.

I finished the plate, chasing each bite with a sip of scotch, promising to reward myself with one of the two enormous scotch eggs I had also ordered. The eggs, cooked perfectly golden brown and delicious were ‘pure dead brilliant.’ The large hard-boiled egg was still moist and flavorful at the center, and the sausage and batter that was fried around the exterior was flavorful and rich. My friend and I agreed that these were the best Scotch eggs that either of us had ever had. We sat there quoting Braveheart and chatting with a mother and son who had come from Salt Lake City to compete in the bagpiping competitions. We picked the young teenager’s brain about reeds, breathing and whether or not the pipes were a ‘babe-magnet.’

Full and satisfied, we left the tent and the games feeling renewed in our Scottish heritage and appreciation of the old-world culture. Next year, when you hear the sounds of the pipes and drums, let it draw you in and feed you: the Wyoming Highlanders Scottish Festival is calling. Bree-wee-ne-ne-neee... JHW

photo by tyler alford
A Scotsman refuels during the Scottish Festival.

PERMALINK:
Slims Pickins: You’re kilting me! | Planet JH News Article: Restaurants And Dining

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