Haggis, Pudding, and other Scottish Food

Ok, so I know I've mentioned food a lot in my blog posts...but hey, food is a very important topic! I kind of need it to survive. Unfortunately, I have been told by several people that Scotland is not known for its food. I was on the St. Andrews website a few days ago looking at the Resident Halls and trying to figure out which ones cater (I'm not ready to cook all on my own yet), and I found an example menu.

First off, IT MENTIONED PEANUT BUTTER!!! Now I know that I won't completely starve, at least not at breakfast!

 :)









I was relieved to see a few familiar items on the menu. Bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, cereal, granola, fresh fruit for breakfast, and soups, salads, and sandwiches for lunch and dinner. This I can deal with.

But, there are some other items I'm a little less sure about. For example, haggis! It was the third option down in the breakfast category. I was wondering when haggis would make an appearance; it is an infamously Scottish dish! For those who don't know, haggis is sheep's heart, liver, lungs, onion and spices cooked inside the sheep's stomach. It is traditionally served with "neeps and tatties" (rutabaga and potato). What an interesting combination of ingredients... I've heard that it is better than the description implies, and it must be since it's been around for centuries, but I think I might hold off on that adventure for a while.

 Haggis!

Haggis is also a mythological creature found in the Scottish Highlands with two legs longer than the other so it can quickly scamper around the steep hills. Apparently 30% of Americans believe that the haggis is a real creature...I'm not falling for it.






My friend Alexandra has also told me to stay away from pudding! Pudding has a very different meaning in Britain (haggis is considered a pudding), but I'm not entirely sure what the meaning is. Pudding confuses me, so I'm going to stay away from it until I know exactly what I'm getting myself into (black pudding is listed under Breakfast as well). She also warned me to stay away from all sausage.

There were some things on the menu that made me laugh. First of all, it mentions "Americano Pizza." What is American pizza and how is it different than any other pizza? I'm really confused. It also mentions a chicken fajita wrap! Ok, being from Texas, that's going to be interesting. I think I need to bring some of the Tex Mex with me! To all of my future Scottish friends, be prepared to try queso. :)

Alright, now that I have listed some of the things I'm going to avoid, I need to figure how what I want to try! I'm not keen on the idea of starving, and if I'm going to live in a different country, I want to be a little adventurous! First step: try to learn to like fish. I'll be on the coast of the North Sea, so I'm sure there will be an abundance of fish to try. I'll report back on the success of that mission.