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For Noel, a genuine wild Haggis, flying in Scotland


Penzoil3

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Sorry Sue, but I can't get in unless I register.  I am reluctant to register onto a website I will probably never return to because I am not interested in combat sims.

 

I'd like to try real Haggis sometime.  I am of Norwegian ancestry but I think there are some Scottish genes in my DNA because I an fond of bagpipes and Scottish culture.  I used to attend the Highland Festival in Estes Park Colorado every year. One year the Queens Scot Guards were there.  It was fascinating to watch those 250 pound guys in kilts toe dancing across the crossed swords.

 

I wrote a letter to the Queen thanking her for allowing them to perform in Colorado.  I got a reply on Buckingham Palace stationery signed by a brigadier general.

 

 It's entirely possible that I have a drop or two of Scot blood since Norwegians lived in and held what is now Scotland from the 8th to 15th centuries.

 

One of my bucket list items that will probably never be realized is attending the tattoo at Edinburg.

 

Noel

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Magnificent Ian.  Thanks  Almost better than sex. Hell, at my age better than sex.

 

I did miss Scotland the Brave though.   Fife and drums playing The British Grenadiers also makes my blood run.

 

Nobody, absolutely nobody, does military pageantry better than the British.  I love it!

 

Noel

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Don't you turn the TV set on Sue?  Every time I turn it on I'm reminded of what it used to be like.  Only in my day the cameras weren't on.  Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall never embarrassed us on the screen.

 

Noel

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I showed my wife U-Tube presentation of the Edinburg tattoo and she asked me why it's called a tattoo.  Probably a lot of you don't know where the term came from either.

 

It's derived from a Dutch term from the 1600s during the 30 Years War.

 

Many British and Scottish troops were attached to the Dutch Army and under command of Dutch generals.

 

In the late evening bugles and drums from camp would sound telling the local pub and bar keeps to 'doe den tap toe'.  That meant to turn off the beer spigots and for the troops to come back to the camp.  In English  a shortened 'doe den tap toe' became tattoo.

 

It became traditional for the British and Scotch and Irish to maintain the custom around their forts and camps.  When tattoo sounded the pubs closed, the troops marched back to the base, and then they drilled for an hour to half sober up before going to their barracks to sleep.

 

The more common meaning of the word tattoo comes from the Polynesian word 'tatu' which means marking the body.

 

Noel  

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17 hours ago, birdguy said:

I showed my wife U-Tube presentation of the Edinburg tattoo and she asked me why it's called a tattoo.  Probably a lot of you don't know where the term came from either.

 

It's derived from a Dutch term from the 1600s during the 30 Years War.

 

Many British and Scottish troops were attached to the Dutch Army and under command of Dutch generals.

 

In the late evening bugles and drums from camp would sound telling the local pub and bar keeps to 'doe den tap toe'.  That meant to turn off the beer spigots and for the troops to come back to the camp.  In English  a shortened 'doe den tap toe' became tattoo.

 

It became traditional for the British and Scotch and Irish to maintain the custom around their forts and camps.  When tattoo sounded the pubs closed, the troops marched back to the base, and then they drilled for an hour to half sober up before going to their barracks to sleep.

 

The more common meaning of the word tattoo comes from the Polynesian word 'tatu' which means marking the body.

 

Noel  

0000861_card-doe-den-tap-toe_1200.jpg

 

Kind regards

 

Ian

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Hi Noel,

The only way you can taste a traditional Haggis would be a visit to Scotland, where the Haggis can contain not only lamb mince but also lungs and heart.

However, scottishgourmetusa.com can supply an alternative, made in USA.

The difference is that they are not allowed to use offal ( USA regulations), but it 

seems that people of Scottish origin find their Haggis quite acceptable.

I personally do like Haggis, served with potatoes  and  turnip ( swedes),

especially with a "wee dram" of single malt to follow.

Cheers, Bill.

 

 

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US regulations on meat products are sometimes hindersome.  When I make meatloaf or spaghetti sauce I ask the butcher to mix sausage and ground beef together.  But I'm told that's against the law.  I have to buy them separately and mix them myself.

 

I have a 'wee dram' of single malt from time to time myself.  I'm partial to The Glenlivet.

 

Noel

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Yes, The Glenlivet is excellent -  my favourite is Glenmorangie.

I also like the Edinburgh Tattoo with the massed Pipe Bands - must be

something from my Scottish heritage ( my Grandmother came from Turriff

near Aberdeen) One of the displays I really enjoyed some years back was

the USMC Silent Drill Platoon  -  magnificent precision! They are also on YouTube.

Cheers, Bill.

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I've seen the USMC Silent Drill before Bill.  And the Old Guard fife and drum corps  are worth watching too.  But still they don't measure up to the military pageantry that seems inherent with the British.

 

Back in the 60s when I was in the regular Air Force I was sent to Australia to backfill a station we operated in Alice Springs for about three weeks.

 

I landed in a military transport in the middle of the night at some RAAF base near Brisbane I think.  In the morning I went to the NCO mess for breakfast and was quite startled when a chap in a white waiter's jacked and a white towel draped over his arm came up to my table and stomped his boot down and said, "Sir!  Coffee or tea?"  I wondered if they were going to give me a bat man too.

 

I have to say my three weeks in Alice were delightful.  I found the Aussies extremely friendly.  We could hardly walk into a pub without someone shouting out, "Set one up for the Yanks!"  I tried to get permanently assigned there but it didn't work out.

 

And before you ask, yes, I saw The Rock.

 

Noel

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Noel

You probably saw The Alice and Ayers Rock at their best -  before they became

so commercialised.

How long did your trans-Pacific flight take - I flew from the UK to Sydney in

1970 and it took 2 days, with 5 stopovers and that was in a 707 !

 

 

 

 

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I actually flew from California to Hawaii and then from Hawaii to Fiji to Brisbane.  It was a few days as I recall.  I had to wait at Hickam for a C-141 that was transporting other personnel (mostly civilian) who were working on other projects.  I flew from Travis AFB to Hickam on a contract Continental B707.

 

Noel 

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About the same year, olderndirt, I sailed from San Diego to Korea on a troop ship with about a thousand other Marines.  It was old APA and it took us almost 4 weeks including stops in Hawaii and Japan (where we were not allowed to leave the ship).

 

Noel

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