Haggis...

That's what we did last night... (video only through the blog)

So it happened that I got invited by a Scotsman for a Haggis. He kept on talking about Robert Burns being the most famous Scottish poet of all time and I had to dig up this famous piece of art. It goes like this:

Address To A Haggis

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie face,
Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!
Aboon them a' ye tak your place,
Painch, tripe, or thairm:
Weel are ye wordy o' a grace
As lang's my arm.

The groaning trencher there ye fill,
Your hurdies like a distant hill,
Your pin wad help to mend a mill
In time o' need,
While thro' your pores the dews distil
Like amber bead.

His knife see rustic Labour dight,
An' cut you up wi' ready sleight,
Trenching your gushing entrails bright,
Like ony ditch;
And then, O what a glorious sight,
Warm-reekin, rich!

Then, horn for horn,
they stretch an' strive:
Deil tak the hindmost! on they drive,
Till a' their weel-swall'd kytes belyve,
Are bent lyke drums;
Then auld Guidman, maist like to rive,
"Bethankit!" 'hums.

Is there that owre his French ragout
Or olio that wad staw a sow,
Or fricassee wad mak her spew
Wi' perfect sconner,
Looks down wi' sneering, scornfu' view
On sic a dinner?

Poor devil! see him ower his trash,
As feckless as a wither'd rash,
His spindle shank, a guid whip-lash,
His nieve a nit;
Thro' bloody flood or field to dash,
O how unfit!

But mark the Rustic, haggis fed,
The trembling earth resounds his tread.
Clap in his walie nieve a blade,
He'll mak it whissle;
An' legs an' arms, an' heads will sned,
Like taps o' thrissle.

Ye Pow'rs wha mak mankind your care,
And dish them out their bill o' fare,
Auld Scotland wants nae skinking ware
That jaups in luggies;
But, if ye wish her gratefu' prayer,
Gie her a haggis!

Oh, you say you didn't quite get that? Well, neither did he! :) Here is the translation:

The Translation

Fair is your honest happy face
Great chieftain of the pudding race
Above them all you take your place
Stomach, tripe or guts
Well are you worthy of a grace
As long as my arm

The groaning platter there you fill
Your buttocks like a distant hill
Your skewer would help to repair a mill
In time of need
While through your pores the juices emerge
Like amber beads

His knife having seen hard labour wipes
And cuts you up with great skill
Digging into your gushing insides bright
Like any ditch
And then oh what a glorious sight
Warm steaming, rich

Then spoon for spoon
They stretch and strive
Devil take the last man, on they drive
Until all their well swollen bellies
Are bent like drums
Then, the old gent most likely to rift (burp)
Be thanked, mumbles

Is there that over his French Ragout
Or olio that would sicken a pig
Or fricassee would make her vomit
With perfect disgust
Looks down with a sneering scornful opinion
On such a dinner

Poor devil, see him over his trash
As week as a withered rush (reed)
His spindle-shank a good whiplash
His clenched fist.the size of a nut.
Through a bloody flood and battle field to dash
Oh how unfit

But take note of the strong haggis fed Scot
The trembling earth resounds his tread
Clasped in his large fist a blade
He'll make it whistle
And legs and arms and heads he will cut off
Like the tops of thistles

You powers who make mankind your care
And dish them out their meals
Old Scotland wants no watery food
That splashes in dishes
But if you wish her grateful prayer
Give her a haggis!

But what is it really? Rumor has it Haggis is a magical animal that has 2 shorter inside legs so that it can run easily along hillsides. Riiiiiiight.

A Haggis is a very old Scottish dish, which combines meats, spices and oatmeal to create a very rich, unusual, but none the less delicious feast. From an old cookbook: "Take the liver, lungs & heart of a sheep and boil them. Mince the meats and mix with chopped onions, toasted oatmeal, salt, pepper, and spices. Take one properly cleaned sheep's stomach. Stuff the cleaned stomach with the prepared contents. Sew up the stomach (leaving enough room for expansion to avoid a large messy explosion) and boil."

We listened to the clip from youtube while Andrew cut the Haggis at the exact moment. I must tell you I was prepared for a funny taste, but it turns out this food is quite delicious! Specially when it is served with mashed potatoes. We also had some real Scottish whiskey to wash it down and some pie with ice cream to finish off this crazy night.

1. pic: first course, tomato soup, allegedly Scottish recipe
2. pic: the KILL
3. pic: my Scotch and I :)
4. pic: Haggis with Whiskey
5. pic: the cook trying to figure out what's inside his dish :(
6. pic: Haggis
7. pic: after a few shots the cook started singing...

Fun on the lake

This is indeed a rare occasion - the snow usually melts in Stavanger after a few days. Apparently this is the coldest winter here in 30 years. I don't mind it too much, because the sky is clear and there is no wind.

Everything was given for a great afternoon on Stokkavatnet, a lake here in the city. The lake was so full of people that we really had to look for some clear area for pictures.

I wanted to go with "no comment" for the pictures, as you can see, Guro, David, Andrew and me had waaaay toooo much fun. :)

Back to Stavanger

Hello Friends,

just a quick post to let y'all know that I made it back to Stavanger City after having an extended holiday of 6 weeks.

My time in Hungary was great, I promise to put up some pictures; I just need a few days to get back to the routine here.

The flight from Budapest to Oslo was uneventful and thankfully the guy at the counter let me check in my huge bags without a problem. Once in Oslo I had a couple of hours till my connecting flight so I took advantage of my new baby laptop. On my flight to Stavanger however, I was sitting next to a 8 years old girl (Riki) who was traveling alone. As soon as we fasted our seatbelts she opened her bag and took out a very pink Barbie board game and looked at me with a smile and anticipation... :) So we played. Needless to say, I lost. :) Twice...

Her next game included those fligh magazines; she opened it somewhere and I had 10 seconds to find that picture in my copy. :) She kept on talking to me the whole time, asking questions and I tried hard to remember all my Norwegian vocabulary - a good excersise before I go back to work tomorrow...

Have a good week everybody!

Flying... not flying... flying... not flying...

Right now i am sitting on the floor of the transit area at Houston International Airport waiting for my flight that is delayed... This has been an amazing month with lots of ups so I try not to be to pessimistic and expect the downs once I get back to the other side of the pond.

If all goes well (and when I am involved you really never know) I might show up in Hungary tomorrow afternoon for a second xmas... :)

Wearing my new Texas A & M hoody helped me lots to go through security quickly- thanks for that again, D!

Wishing y'all a wonderful 2010!

American Football (???) game through the eyes of a European

So, we, Europeans all heard the complaints about this game. It's very similar to the British Rugby, and the name is entirely wrong since most of the time these puffed up guys pick up the ball and run with it instead of kicking with their feet. But if you are fortunate enough (like me) and go to a real game with somebody who not only knows the game but patient enough to answer all your annoying questions during the game... then you are actually in for a real treat: an exciting game with lots of action!

To prepare for the game I read about the rules and traditions and background history. Some of that was interesting, even funny, but most of it needed visual explanation. Funny how things work out, I had the chance to meet John Gilliam who played center during the first ever Super Bowl. (see picture)

Texas A & M is a former military school with mostly guy students so naturally the Cheerleader Squad comprises of sexy... well, men. Not that I was complaining! But to be accurate, they are called YELL leaders. Each team has their own yells and movements that every fan should know, but courtesy to new fans like me a day before the game they organized a yell practice. It happened at midnight under a bridge in Bossier City, Louisiana. Doug, being a true Aggie got me a proper hoody and made sure we show up before midnight. The temperature is around zero Celsius, you can see your own breath, but hundreds of dedicated fans come for the event. And it was really funny!

5 guys in T-shirts go on stage and crack jokes, make fun of the Georgia Bulldogs and go through the yells that we are to perform tomorrow. I wondered what B.T.H.O. means, but it didn't take long to find out. Suddenly all the people around me lift their right fist while crossing the other arm in front of their body, left arm also in a fist and I stand in awe; it's a RUDE sign to show. They couldn't care less and soon people started shouting "beat the hell out of Georgia". OK, mystery solved. :) And what's in it for the girls? - you ask. Well, when the lights go out at the end of the practice, the guys should kiss their date! :)

The other fun activity that's connected to the game is the Marching of Bands. Each team has a strong supporting band of 200+ musicians. They all gathered in a stadium for a few hours of music. Cheer leaders showed up, too, in their cute little dresses to the delight of the guys. The whole event was great except the really annoying fact that I was not allowed to take in my camera. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! I had to use a cell phone so the pictures are not the best, nonetheless I tried my best to capture the feeling. :)








On the day of the game we looked at the temperature. It wasn't too bad, the sun was shining, no clouds in the sky, but it was cold. Even though I got used to the cold in Norway, I had to put on several layers of clothing.

American Football (???) has four 15 minutes segments, but due to the many stops usually the games last about 4 hours... go figure. The highway was packed, cars are stuck in all 4 lanes. It took us a while to get there, but once we came close another problem occurred: yep, parking. Finally we found a spot, gathered our stuff and were walking towards the stadium. Tailgating is another phenomenon that only happens in America. Fans open the back of the truck, they bring BBQ and beers and enjoy a fun afternoon with other friends before the game. Some take it real seriously (see picture).

Once inside the stadium I get to see the whole field, all the markings, the bands practicing, fans on both sides getting excited and the good mood is contagious. I might not understand the game, but I am glad to be here and experience the whole package. My only problem is that when you watch it on TV they show you the lines where they have to run, while in real life I have to rely on Doug. Oh well... I am ready!

(Gig 'em is the sign of the Aggies)

Since the Aggies used to be only military, I am not surprised, just fascinated when a B52 flies above us. Soon enough the call for stand up to the national anthem comes and for the first time I listen to the words. I knew the tunes, we all do, but it never touched me; just the opposite. I was often thrown off by their patriotism, hands on the heart praising the freedom of this great country. But for the first time I could look at it from their point of view! Very humbling experience... For the first time I could understand what it means, where their pride comes from and how it strengthens their nation.

The game started and suddenly everybody was on their feet. I was told that current students have to stand during the game to show support, but alumni people and guests can sit. Riiiight. It's hard to see if the people stand in front of you... Anyhow, the game kicked off (literally) and though they did have a lot of stops, the first quarter just flew by. The Aggies scored a touch down and I could take some cool pictures.


Halftime came and the bands started marching again. It was really impressive as they made all the different formations while playing on their instruments. Before they left the field you could see a huge T!

The third and fourth quarters were a bit disappointing, but nothing could ruin my enthusiasm. After the millionth question the people around us looked at me strange so I had to explain that this is indeed my very first time watching this game. As a result a man on my left was more than happy to give me his opinion - whether or not I asked. :)

After sunset the temperature dropped drastically and I cannot even imagine how the yell leaders survived the game in T-shirts... I was drinking hot chocolate and tried out the fritos pie (chips with melted cheese and chili). The Aggies' Mascot was not there so we had to settle with a small statue. :)

Even though the Aggies lost this game, I had an amazing time. By the end I was somewhat familiar with the rules and could appreciate a good catch, a good block or a good run. The experience was wonderful and my only regret is that I cannot squeeze more into this post, but take it from a European when I say: this is indeed a great game! Touch down!

Bye Bye Lucille Ball...

Some of you know who I am talking about... so you might understand why recently I was compared to this red headed lady who always gets into trouble while her stories entertain masses.

Some of us, on the other hand had no idea who this woman was. I was sharing some of my stories from my Doulos life with Doug's Sunday School class and after I finished talking he told the group "I am the Hungarian Lucille Ball". A wave of understanding washed over the class and I was hoping that this woman is a smart, beautiful, funny and humble person. And then I found this video... :(



Is this something I would do??? I usually don't get into this much trouble... :)

Anyhow, I just passed 30, it's time to grow up so I guess

Bye Bye Lucille!
This is my new year's resolution!

Speaking of which, I need to explain my previous comment. To answer your many questions, no, I did NOT get arrested (that would have been really foolish on my side now, wouldn't it?) I simply wanted to see his gun, he said it wasn't possible so we moved on to handcuffs. I had my picture, I tried to get out of it, I couldn't so he graciously removed them and we all had a good laugh.