III. HAGGIS AND BAGPIPES

Haggis should always be served with bagpipes. The reason for this will

be explained later.

In our recipes we always try to give the easiest way in which our

favourite dishes may be attained. The easiest way to enjoy Haggis is

to enlist the assistance of a number of Scotsmen, who by tradition,

training, temperament, and centuries of romantic strife have fitted

themselves to prepare and eat this sovereign piece of resistance.

Make friends, therefore, with as many prominent local Scots as

possible. Season the mixture by adding a few directors of some

well-known Scottish steamship companies. These friendships must be

cultivated gently and cannot be unduly hurried. Subscribe to the

_Caledonian_ or some other Scottish-American magazine. Eventually, if

all goes well, you may be invited to a dinner of the Caledonian Club or

the St. Andrews Society, or a luncheon on an Anchor Line steamship. At

this dinner The Haggis will be served.

The bagpipes are for the purpose of muffling any metaphysical argument

that may arise round the tables, and also to drown out any stories that

begin “There was a man frae Aberdeen----”

Do not ask your neighbour at table why it is that the pipes always

play the same tune. If you do, you will not be invited again. It is

better to garnish the occasion with a few carefully chosen Scottish

phrases--such as _’Tis a braw day the day_; _I’ll no can keep that

appointment for three o’clock_; _Let the world gang tapsalteerie_;

_Whaur’s Wullie Shaksper noo?_

[Illustration]

The Powder of Sympathy · 第 72 / 171 题