Expats fete Scotsman Burns

ON SATURDAY night all true Scots in Brunei gathered at the Serasa Yacht Club to celebrate the birth of Caledonia's favourite son, the poet Robert Burns, otherwise known as the Bard of Ayrshire. Those who could demonstrate pure lineage were joined by others sympathetic to the Caledonian cause, whether they had Scottish blood in their veins or not. Such is the tolerance of the Brunei St Andrew's Society that even a few Englishmen were admitted.

Burn's night is celebrated all around the world within a few days of 25 January, the anniversary of the poet's birth. In 18th century Ayrshire, the region of Scotland where the poet was born, the celebration was held on 21 July, which is the anniversary of his death, but the date was changed in the 19th century.

The format for a Burns' Night is well established. The dinner begins with soup to warm you up after braving the January blizzards on your way to the manor house. On Saturday it was Scotch Broth, but Cock-a-Leekie soup, made from leeks, potatoes and chicken stock, is more traditional.

Next comes the main dish, the Haggis. There are many recipes for haggis, but the standard ingredients are sheep's liver, mixed with onion, oatmeal and spices. This mixture is pressed into the stomach of a sheep and boiled for several hours. These days you can buy commercially produced haggises that come in a plastic sheath. For the squeamish, there are vegetarian versions that mimic the taste of the real thing.

Haggis is served with potatoes and swede, known in the Scottish dialect as "neeps and tatties". Of course, haggis is a poor man's meal, since it traditionally uses the cheapest cuts of meat and the innards of the animal. Nevertheless, it has become an icon of the Scottish nation. Unsurprisingly, and despite the Auld Alliance, the French despise it as a culinary abomination; the Larousse Gastronomique is, however, kinder: "Although its description is not immediately appealing, haggis has an excellent nutty texture and savoury flavour." One reads with horror that in Scotland fast food outlets now offer "haggis burgers"; there are also some enterprising Indian restaurants in Glasgow that will sell you a "haggis bhaji".

There is a long tradition of pretending that the haggis is actually animate. To the unsuspecting tourist it is variously portrayed as a bird, similar to a grouse, and as a scurrying animal, like a mole, that lurks in the forests of Fife. The Scotsman newspaper sometimes carries details of "Wild Haggis Hunts", for which wealthy foreigners are known to appear in all-weather gear, ready to track down the "wee beastie" and blast it with a twelve bore.

On Saturday night there was none of this frivolous behaviour. The Haggis was served with due pomp and circumstance. Once prepared by the excellent chefs of the Yacht Club, who are the only haggis cooking specialists on Borneo, it was placed on a silver platter. A lone soldier from the Gurhka regiment led the procession to the top table, playing "Scotland the Brave" on his magnificent bagpipes.

He was followed by the Haggis itself, which was carried by a senior member of the Campbell clan in full regalia and by the treasurer of the St Andrew's Society of Bandar Seri Begawan, who, crossing his arms across his chest, carried the ancient emblems of the Society, one in each hand.

When the procession arrived at the top table, a respectful silence fell upon the company and the Chieftain of the Society addressed the Haggis in the immortal words of the Bard:

Fair fa' your honest, sonsie (cheerful) face,

Great chieftain o' the puddin-race!

Aboon (about) them a' ye tak your place,

Painch, tripe, or thairm:

Weel are ye wordy of a grace

As lang's my arm.

Then he plunged his knife into the Haggis to the words:

His knife see rustic Labour dight,

An' cut you up wi' ready sleight,

Trenching your gushing entrails bright

Like onie ditch;

And then, O what a glorious sight,

Warm-reekin, rich!

The guests then tucked in to a delicious meal, while Burns' best known poetry was recited to them by connoisseurs of his work.

It is traditional on Burn's night that there should be an address to the Ladies. This used to be a short speech by one of the gentlemen guests to thank the womenfolk who had prepared the meal.

Nowadays, the speech ranges more widely and often deals with the thorny issue of the relationship between husband and wife. It may include general comments, reflecting the speaker's views on women. The gentleman called on to make this speech should however be circumspect, since the ladies have the right of reply.

On Saturday it was the guest of honour, Mr Tareq Muhmood, who made this address.

To everyone's surprise he revealed that he was the chieftain of the long lost clan of MacMoot which migrated to Baghdad at some time in the ninth century. As to why his ancestors decided to do this, Mr Muhmood was unable to enlighten us, but he said it probably had something to do with being fed up with dancing the Cumberland Reel on Saturday nights, for which his forebears had shown no aptitude. The clan never returned to Scotland, but were granted lands along the Euphrates, where apparently they cultivated potatoes and swede and made a fortune selling these vegetables to the Chinese.

By the fifteenth century, thanks to the enterprise of the MacMoot clan, "neeps and tatties" had become the in-thing in Guangdong — and St Andrew's societies were springing up all over China.

The evening concluded with Scottish Country dancing. There is something surreal about dancing the Gay Gordons or the Cumberland Reel in 30C weather, as the South China Sea laps against the shore not twenty metres away.

Scottish Country Dancing was clearly invented for a cold climate since it is very good at warming you up if the heating doesn't work too well. This was not a problem at Serasa.

The St Andrew's Society of Bandar Seri Begawan is in excellent shape and welcomes new members at its dinners and ceilidhs throughout the year.

You will be sure of a warm welcome in the ancient traditions of Scottish hospitality.

The writer is the principal of Jerudong International School.

The Brunei Times