Archive for October, 2003

Haggis

Going to be in Scotland on an upcoming trip and I was doing a little research on local delicacies when I came across this explanation of exactly what is in Haggis in Google’s dictionary:

(HAG-ihs) - Haggis is a Scottish dish made from sheep’s offal (windpipe, lungs, heart and liver) of the sheep, which is first boiled and then minced. It is then mixed with beef suet and lightly toasted oatmeal. This mixture is placed inside the sheep’s stomach, which is sewn closed. The resulting haggis is traditionally cooked by further boiling (for up to three hours).

Sounds delectable, doesn’t it? I’m all for sampling local specialties to feel like you are really experiencing a place, but this one may be a little tough. Apparently the dish is sort of a famous national symbol for the Scottish. Stay tuned to see if I try it next month.

Things To Not Do When You Are Cursed

Things like this are not recommended when your team (Cubs and Red Sox) has a lengthy history of being snake bitten:

The Curse of the Bambino Lives On

Bambino sleeps peacefully as the Evil Empire has triumphed over the Red Sox in Game 7 of the ALCS. As a Yankee fan I am pretty ecstatic. I was sweating bullets during the game because there are way too many trash talking Red Sox fans here in New England that know of my NY roots. There must be something about the letter “B” for the Boston Red Sox. Let’s see Babe, Bucky, Buckner AND NOW Boone!!!! Actually Aaron Boone is like this year’s version of Bucky Dent. He’s also wasn’t the greatest hitter and was a very unlikely hero. He was put in as defensive replacement. Cowboy Up on the golf course Red Sox!!! 1918 forever!!! (Sorry, this is what happens when you’re a Yankee fan in a sea of Sox fans)

Deer and Dunes

While down in New York last weekend I made a side trip to Fire Island. Fire Island is a barrier island off of Long Island, and the only one in the U.S. without roads. I noticed a combo there, that I hadn’t come across before, deer and sand dunes in the same place. It was kind of neat to see deer roaming around a beach area, and there were a whole lot of them. They were walking around the narrow paths of the island very casually and didn’t seem to be affected by the human traffic passing by.

View Fire Island photos.

Rephotographing Paris

Great photography idea on this University of South Florida School of Art and Art History website. A project has students rephotographing places in Paris originally photographed by famous French photographer Eugene Atget between 1900 and 1926. As they mention on the site, there is an excellent “time machine” effect when you see the old and new pictures paired together. I enjoyed photographing Paris while I was there last year and this gives me some good ideas if I ever go back. This might also be a fun thing to try in other photogenic cities.

Under the Brooklyn Bridge

Took this picture over the weekend of one of my favorite subjects in New York, the Brooklyn Bridge. It’s from beneath the bridge on the Brooklyn side.

Ben’s Cures

I’m down in New York City for a long weekend and that means a visit to the awesome Jewish deli, Ben’s on Long Island. I highly recommend a visit to anyone who will be in the New York area and has never tried it. Go for the Corned Beef on Rye and Chicken Noodle Soup like I always do. Their motto is “We Cure Our Own Corned Beef. Our Chicken Soup Cures Everything Else”. Well I had a cold coming on for the first couple of days down here and after a fabulous Ben’s feast it seems to have magically disappeared.