Saturday, April 5, 2008

National Tartan Day

Tomorrow is apparently “National Tartan Day” here. A local shop advertises, “Celebrate What’s Great About Scotland,” and adds, “We Have Scottish Honey, Haggis, Cheese, Shortbread.”

This list appeals to me less than it might. I’ve got a friend whose bees produce lovely honey. For my money, the best cheddar in the world is produced in Vermont. Shortbread, in my experience, is shortbread. So National Tartan Day doesn’t resonate for me in these areas.

Haggis is different...everyone would agree that nothing here, and nothing emanating from the kitchens of Provence or Tuscany can remotely approach it. Not on purpose, anyway.

So, I’m giving this offer a pass. In a month, I’ll celebrate what’s great about Scotland my own way—soaking wet, battered stupid by the wind, and looking terrifically handsome and intrepid on the summit of a Munro.

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