Ask Me Anything: Haggis Edition
Every week I take your questions. This week I talk about Substack Notes, ramps, AI, "Family Dinner" and a lot, lot more.
I loved your questions this week! These are the type of things people ask me in elevators, which is to say, they’re provocative and smart. Paid subscribers who would like me to answer questions about cooking, the books on my nightstand, what I carry on airplanes or whatever is on their mind can leave them in the comments section below. Ask your friends for their questions, too!
This week’s questions
James:
I'm a new annual subscriber to your newsletter and perhaps you have previously answered this question. We have thoroughly enjoyed every season and every episode of Family Dinner. It's authentic and true Americana. We also enjoyed the one episode of Family Restaurant. Will there be more episodes coming of Family Restaurant?
Tinmd:
If your culinary endeavors fell flat, what could you otherwise been doing? What was the influence of chance/luck/kismet on where you are now?
Jared:
Loved seeing you as a judge on TOC. Would love to hear if there any differences in how you approach judging on there versus Iron Chef.
George Brown:
We are young farmers. We aim to someday provide chicken, gamebird, and waterfowl to chefs. How can we do this with skill and professionalism?
Jodi:
A question-heading to Scotland this summer for the first time. I am being “challenged” by a family member to try Haggis. Should I? And any recommendations on where?
Josh:
A tech-based question for you: What role do you think apps like ChatGPT (or A.I. in general) will play on the restaurateur side (e.g., in recipe creation, menu development, sourcing, etc...based on location & concept) and on the guest side (e.g., determining which unpopular restaurants or menu items might be worth trying based on each person's individual taste)?
Pamela:
Do you honestly love Durian?
Susie:
Ramp and wild morel season is right in front of us. I love and forage both. I make and keep ramp butter and am going to pickle some this year. What’s your favorite way to use morels? Do you forage?
Lisa:
[About the Willie Nelson discussion last week] Ah…so you lean towards The Highwaymen collaboration (Waylon, Willie, Johnny, and Kris) then????
Evie:
My dear Andrew . If you give a $2.50 tip when you buy a $2.50 coffee it equals to 100% tip. Not 50%, not 200% 😛 But it doesn’t matter. You are an excellent chef 😏
I headline about Haggis and it brought back a memory of 5 years ago on a trip to Scotland. I tried to eat Haggis at least once a day. Many were the same with a light alteration of the covering green peppercorn sauce. In Inverness we hit a bar downtown a little after the lunch rush and I ordered the Haggis. Very different so I wandered over to the kitchen and spoke with the chef about his Haggis. He told me few people make their own. I told him that there must be a national brand because several tasted similar. He said, “ You would be right”. His was made by a butcher just two blocks away and he said if you are that interested would you like to see how ours is made. What a great tour of a proper Scottish butcher shop. They included everything but the bleat and were quite proud of the ingredients and care they took in making the Haggis for locals.
The national brand was very homogenized and tasty. The local did not have that fine grind and some parts discernible but altogether as tasty and even better after I got to meet they man who made it every day.
The next trip I avoided the Haggis and concentrated on other local dishes like Cullen Skink and salmon. We went this past Christmas to experience the Christmas markets and on a whim stopped into the Balmoral Hotel during a snowstorm for hot toddies followed by afternoon tea. That was the highlight of that trip.
So we are researching our next trip, to Greece and the Cyclades. Just starting to look for what we should pursue in the eating department, but it will be fun.
Love the haggis! We tasted every layer! Happy Saturday! Thank you for the answer!