FYI:

US to lift 21-year ban on haggis

guardian.co.uk, Sunday 24 January 2010 18.23 GMT

"Smuggled and bootlegged, it has been the cause of transatlantic tensions
for
more than two decades. But after 21 years in exile, the haggis is to be
allowed back into the United States.

The "great chieftan o' the puddin-race" was one of earliest casualties of
the BSE crisis of the 1980s-90s, banned on health grounds by the US
authorities in 1989 because they feared its main ingredient minced sheep
offal could prove lethal.

Some refined foodies might insist it always has been and always will be: in
the words of Robert Burns, in his Ode to a Haggis, looking "down wi'
sneering, scornfu' view on sic a dinner". But now, as millions of Scots
around the world prepare to celebrate Burns's legacy tonight with an
elaborate, whisky-fuelled pageant to a boiled bag of sheep innards, oatmeal,
suet and pepper, its reputation has been restored, on health grounds at
least.

For the past two decades, Americans of Scottish descent of whom there are
at least 6 million have been forced to celebrate Burns' night without a
true haggis, much to their distress.

There are stories of Scots smuggling in a haggis for their starving cousins,
risking deportation in the process. Others are said to have secretly tried
to create homemade, bootleg haggis, desperate to sample that particularly
peppery concoction.

Meanwhile, butchers in the US have tried, and failed, to make their own
versions of the pudding without using the vital ingredient: sheep. "It was a
silly ban which meant a lot of people have never tasted the real thing,"
said Margaret Frost, of the Scottish American Society in Ohio. "We have had
to put up with the US version, which is made from beef and is bloody awful."

The long-running campaign by Scottish ministers to reverse the ban has been
reinvigorated by Alex Salmond, the Scottish National party leader, since he
became first minister, privately lobbying US officials during his visits
there. The reverse in policy from the US department of agriculture is now
expected by Salmond's government after the World Organisation for Animal
Health decided that sheep lungs no longer carry a risk of contamination by
scrapie, a close variant of mad cow disease, or bovine spongiform
encephalopathy.The latest sales figures suggest haggis is more popular now
than ever.

Nearly £9m worth were sold in the UK alone last year, the 250th anniversary
of Burns' birth, up by 19% on 2008. Richard Lochhead, the Scottish
environment secretary, was delighted. "I am greatly encouraged to hear that
the US authorities are planning a review of the unfair ban on haggis
imports," he said. "We believe that reversing the ban would deliver a vote
of confidence in Scottish producers, and allow American consumers to sample
our world-renowned national dish."

</>

On 2010-01-26, Gregory Morrow > wrote:

> US to lift 21-year ban on haggis


What ban? (like we care)

nb

notbob wrote:

> On 2010-01-26, Gregory Morrow > wrote:
>
>> US to lift 21-year ban on haggis
>
>
> What ban? (like we care)


It's definitely in the "News of the Wierd" category, nb...!!!

I was not even aware that it was produced for retail sale actually...


--
Best
Greg

On 2010-01-26, Gregory Morrow > wrote:

> It's definitely in the "News of the Wierd" category, nb...!!!
>
> I was not even aware that it was produced for retail sale actually...

Yeah.... they showed it being massed produced (small scale) in N UK on some
foodie program. I'd try one if I stumbled across it, but wouldn't go out
of my way to find one.

nb

Greg forwarded:

> Meanwhile, butchers in the US have tried, and failed, to make their own
> versions of the pudding without using the vital ingredient: sheep.

This makes no sense to me. Why not use sheep?

Bob

Gregory Morrow wrote:

> FYI:
>
> US to lift 21-year ban on haggis

One has to wonder "Why?"
--
Cheers
Chatty Cathy - not a haggis fan

On 2010-01-26, Bob Terwilliger > wrote:

> This makes no sense to me. Why not use sheep?

Sheep/lamb/mutton whatever has seemingly disappeared from the US
scene. Even wool products are hard to find. Mutton is priced like an
endangered species. I'm not sure of the reasons, but all things ovis
are either prohibitively expensive or jes no longer exists. So sad.

nb

On Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:10:01 GMT, notbob > wrote:

>On 2010-01-26, Bob Terwilliger > wrote:
>
>> This makes no sense to me. Why not use sheep?
>
>Sheep/lamb/mutton whatever has seemingly disappeared from the US
>scene. Even wool products are hard to find. Mutton is priced like an
>endangered species. I'm not sure of the reasons, but all things ovis
>are either prohibitively expensive or jes no longer exists. So sad.
>
>nb

Commercially made haggis, especially imported, would have problems
passing USDA inspection... many such products do, that's why there is
no Italian mortadela in the US. Lamb and mutton is pricy for the same
reason other foods that most folks won't buy... some folks love it but
neither is all that popular in the US... actually goat is more popular
in the US. But there is absolutely no shortage of wool in the US, not
to those willing to pay the price over synthetics... I know a lot of
people who knit with very high quality natural fibers but the vast
majority in the US knit with cheapo acrylic Walmart yarn... not really
worth the time, effort, and lousy results but that's what most US
knitters do. A lot of my neighbors raise sheep, llama, vicuna, and
goats for yarn but not many who claim to be knitters are going to pay
$20 a 200 gram skein when they can buy synthetic at $3.99 a pound.

"ChattyCathy" > wrote in message
...
> Gregory Morrow wrote:
>
>> FYI:
>>
>> US to lift 21-year ban on haggis
>
> One has to wonder "Why?"
> --
> Cheers
> Chatty Cathy - not a haggis fan

I kinda like it but I have never had the "real" thing. Oh, and served with
a deep fried Snickers bar for dessert.

Paul

On 2010-01-26, brooklyn1 > wrote:

> passing USDA inspection... many such products do, that's why there is
> no Italian mortadela in the US. Lamb and mutton is pricy for the same
> reason other foods that most folks won't buy... some folks love it but
> neither is all that popular in the US... actually goat is more popular
> in the US.

I remember when lamb/mutton was cheap. Buck and a quarter a pound. Now,
can't touch it fer less the $5lb, even for fatty leg. As for goat,
not as plentiful as you think. Mexicans love goat, but even in CA, at
my local carniceria, goat was unheard of.

> to those willing to pay the price over synthetics...

The same can be said of ermine!

All the old North Eastern catalog companies like LL Bean and Eddie
Bauer used to offer dozens of various wool weave pants and shirts.
Try and find a single one, now. Pendleton is selling fer $120 per
shirt for see through weight garmets. It's a disgrace.

> knitters do. A lot of my neighbors raise sheep, llama, vicuna, and
> goats for yarn but not many who claim to be knitters are going to pay
> $20 a 200 gram skein when they can buy synthetic at $3.99 a pound.

My point exactly. Llama farmers consider their livestock to be some
sort of chic collectible investment instead of a damn yarn resource.
$10K per head fer a freaking spitin' cousin to the camel,
ferchrysakes. Not even marketable as a food source. Morons.

nb

On Jan 26, 3:13*pm, notbob > wrote:
> On 2010-01-26, brooklyn1 > wrote:
>
> > passing USDA inspection... many such products do, that's why there is
> > no Italian mortadela in the US. *Lamb and mutton is pricy for the same
> > reason other foods that most folks won't buy... some folks love it but
> > neither is all that popular in the US... actually goat is more popular
> > in the US.
>
> I remember when lamb/mutton was cheap. *Buck and a quarter a pound. *Now,
> can't touch it fer less the $5lb, even for fatty leg. *As for goat,
> not as plentiful as you think. *Mexicans love goat, but even in CA, at
> my local carniceria, goat was unheard of. *

I had goat biriyani at a local Indian restaurant last Saturday. No
idea
where they got the goat.

> > to those willing to pay the price over synthetics...

I prefer synthetics. Wool is itchy.

Cindy Hamilton

Cindy wrote on Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:31:38 -0800 (PST):

> On Jan 26, 3:13 pm, notbob > wrote:
>> On 2010-01-26, brooklyn1 > wrote:
>>
> >> passing USDA inspection... many such products do, that's
> >> why there is no Italian mortadela in the US. Lamb and
> >> mutton is pricy for the same reason other foods that most
> >> folks won't buy... some folks love it but neither is all
> >> that popular in the US... actually goat is more popular in
> >> the US.
>>
>> I remember when lamb/mutton was cheap. Buck and a quarter a
>> pound. Now, can't touch it fer less the $5lb, even for fatty
>> leg. As for goat, not as plentiful as you think. Mexicans
>> love goat, but even in CA, at my local carniceria, goat was
>> unheard of.

> I had goat biriyani at a local Indian restaurant last
> Saturday. No idea
> where they got the goat.

> >> to those willing to pay the price over synthetics...

> I prefer synthetics. Wool is itchy.

The very best AYCE Indian restaurant around here (in Rockville, MD), the
Minerva, often has goat curry on the table. I'm pretty sure it is goat
since it's different from mutton and I like it!

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On 27/01/2010 7:31 AM, Cindy Hamilton wrote:
> On Jan 26, 3:13 pm, > wrote:
>> On 2010-01-26, > wrote:
>>
>>> passing USDA inspection... many such products do, that's why there is
>>> no Italian mortadela in the US. Lamb and mutton is pricy for the same
>>> reason other foods that most folks won't buy... some folks love it but
>>> neither is all that popular in the US... actually goat is more popular
>>> in the US.
>>
>> I remember when lamb/mutton was cheap. Buck and a quarter a pound. Now,
>> can't touch it fer less the $5lb, even for fatty leg. As for goat,
>> not as plentiful as you think. Mexicans love goat, but even in CA, at
>> my local carniceria, goat was unheard of.
>
> I had goat biriyani at a local Indian restaurant last Saturday.

I had chicken biriyani yesterday.

> No idea where they got the goat.

Probably synthetic, made in China.

>
>>> to those willing to pay the price over synthetics...
>
> I prefer synthetics. Wool is itchy.
>
> Cindy Hamilton

I prefer cotton, synthetics give me a rash.

Krypsis

"Paul M. Cook" wrote:
>
> "ChattyCathy" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Gregory Morrow wrote:
> >
> >> FYI:
> >>
> >> US to lift 21-year ban on haggis
> >
> > One has to wonder "Why?"
> > --
> > Cheers
> > Chatty Cathy - not a haggis fan
>
> I kinda like it but I have never had the "real" thing. Oh, and served with
> a deep fried Snickers bar for dessert.
>
> Paul

Try haggis deep fried Quite liked it.

"Cindy Hamilton" > wrote in message
...
On Jan 26, 3:13 pm, notbob > wrote:
I had goat biriyani at a local Indian restaurant last Saturday. No
idea
where they got the goat.


I prefer synthetics. Wool is itchy.

Cindy Hamilton

I really only wear cotton. Wool is itchy and too warm for me. Synthetics
smell funny (especially on me if I sweat a little) and I do not like the
feel. We sleep on cotton and the vast majority of our clothing is cotton.

Dale P

notbob wrote:

> On 2010-01-26, brooklyn1 > wrote:
>
>> passing USDA inspection... many such products do, that's why there is
>> no Italian mortadela in the US. Lamb and mutton is pricy for the
>> same reason other foods that most folks won't buy... some folks love
>> it but neither is all that popular in the US... actually goat is
>> more popular in the US.
>
> I remember when lamb/mutton was cheap. Buck and a quarter a pound.
> Now, can't touch it fer less the $5lb, even for fatty leg.


Mutton especially was once "poor food". Back in the late 40's my dad raised
sheep that won Blue Ribbons at the Illinois State Fair but my mom would
*not* have mutton or lamb in the house...they were making good money then
and it was considered declasse'. Never once when I was growing up in the
sticks of downstate Illannoy did I taste lamb, see it on a menu, or know
anybody who served it. Could have been *giraffe* for all practical
purposes...


As for
> goat,
> not as plentiful as you think. Mexicans love goat, but even in CA, at
> my local carniceria, goat was unheard of.


When I visit the local Restuarant Depot, a food wholesaler, they'll have
whole skinned baby lamb - head on! - at times, it's halal and one of the
guys there told me that muslims buy a lot of this lamb.


>> to those willing to pay the price over synthetics...
>
> The same can be said of ermine!
>
> All the old North Eastern catalog companies like LL Bean and Eddie
> Bauer used to offer dozens of various wool weave pants and shirts.
> Try and find a single one, now. Pendleton is selling fer $120 per
> shirt for see through weight garmets. It's a disgrace.
>


Yeah, trying to find anything made primarily of wool is an effort...


>> knitters do. A lot of my neighbors raise sheep, llama, vicuna, and
>> goats for yarn but not many who claim to be knitters are going to pay
>> $20 a 200 gram skein when they can buy synthetic at $3.99 a pound.
>
> My point exactly. Llama farmers consider their livestock to be some
> sort of chic collectible investment instead of a damn yarn resource.
> $10K per head fer a freaking spitin' cousin to the camel,
> ferchrysakes. Not even marketable as a food source. Morons.


But do you not find llamas cute, nb...when they bat their eyelashes at
you...???


--
Best
Greg

On Wed, 27 Jan 2010 00:40:39 -0600, "Gregory Morrow"
> wrote:

>notbob wrote:
>
>> On 2010-01-26, brooklyn1 > wrote:
>>
>>> passing USDA inspection... many such products do, that's why there is
>>> no Italian mortadela in the US. Lamb and mutton is pricy for the
>>> same reason other foods that most folks won't buy... some folks love
>>> it but neither is all that popular in the US... actually goat is
>>> more popular in the US.
>>
>> I remember when lamb/mutton was cheap. Buck and a quarter a pound.
>> Now, can't touch it fer less the $5lb, even for fatty leg.
>
>
>Mutton especially was once "poor food". Back in the late 40's my dad raised
>sheep that won Blue Ribbons at the Illinois State Fair but my mom would
>*not* have mutton or lamb in the house...they were making good money then
>and it was considered declasse'. Never once when I was growing up in the
>sticks of downstate Illannoy did I taste lamb, see it on a menu, or know
>anybody who served it. Could have been *giraffe* for all practical
>purposes...
>
>
> As for
>> goat,
>> not as plentiful as you think. Mexicans love goat, but even in CA, at
>> my local carniceria, goat was unheard of.
>
>
>When I visit the local Restuarant Depot, a food wholesaler, they'll have
>whole skinned baby lamb - head on! - at times, it's halal and one of the
>guys there told me that muslims buy a lot of this lamb.
>
>
>>> to those willing to pay the price over synthetics...
>>
>> The same can be said of ermine!
>>
>> All the old North Eastern catalog companies like LL Bean and Eddie
>> Bauer used to offer dozens of various wool weave pants and shirts.
>> Try and find a single one, now. Pendleton is selling fer $120 per
>> shirt for see through weight garmets. It's a disgrace.
>>
>
>
>Yeah, trying to find anything made primarily of wool is an effort...
>
>
>>> knitters do. A lot of my neighbors raise sheep, llama, vicuna, and
>>> goats for yarn but not many who claim to be knitters are going to pay
>>> $20 a 200 gram skein when they can buy synthetic at $3.99 a pound.
>>
>> My point exactly. Llama farmers consider their livestock to be some
>> sort of chic collectible investment instead of a damn yarn resource.
>> $10K per head fer a freaking spitin' cousin to the camel,
>> ferchrysakes. Not even marketable as a food source. Morons.
>
>
>But do you not find llamas cute, nb...when they bat their eyelashes at
>you...???

'Specially the rare Pushmi-Pullyu breed that frollic
in my fields:
http://i50.tinypic.com/2hi6wk9.jpg

In article >,
brooklyn1 > wrote:

> On Tue, 26 Jan 2010 15:10:01 GMT, notbob > wrote:
>
> >On 2010-01-26, Bob Terwilliger > wrote:
> >
> >> This makes no sense to me. Why not use sheep?
> >
> >Sheep/lamb/mutton whatever has seemingly disappeared from the US
> >scene. Even wool products are hard to find. Mutton is priced like an
> >endangered species. I'm not sure of the reasons, but all things ovis
> >are either prohibitively expensive or jes no longer exists. So sad.
> >
> >nb
>
> Commercially made haggis, especially imported, would have problems
> passing USDA inspection... many such products do, that's why there is
> no Italian mortadela in the US. Lamb and mutton is pricy for the same
> reason other foods that most folks won't buy... some folks love it but
> neither is all that popular in the US... actually goat is more popular
> in the US. But there is absolutely no shortage of wool in the US, not
> to those willing to pay the price over synthetics... I know a lot of
> people who knit with very high quality natural fibers but the vast
> majority in the US knit with cheapo acrylic Walmart yarn... not really
> worth the time, effort, and lousy results but that's what most US
> knitters do. A lot of my neighbors raise sheep, llama, vicuna, and
> goats for yarn but not many who claim to be knitters are going to pay
> $20 a 200 gram skein when they can buy synthetic at $3.99 a pound.

$20 for 200g of alpaca is a steal. I've paid about double for that here.

Miche

--
Electricians do it in three phases