This week, I will be out of town volunteering at a youth summer camp sponsored by my church. So today, while I’m outside of decent cell and internet range and am unable to check the markets, I want to bring you a classic “D.R. Unfiltered” video as a precursor for my upcoming trip to Scotland.
Some of my longer-tenured readers might remember this video from last year, which shows me competing in the haggis throwing competition during the Highland Games in the small village of Aberlour, Scotland.
These games date back over 1000 years and have many facets including bagpipe and drum corps competitions, and multiple dancing events. And yes, there are footraces and long jumps where men and women run and jump to the screaming encouragement of the local spectators.
But the great allure of the games lies in the strength events where huge men in kilts throw heavy stones and hammers and even toss massive logs. The event I chose to take place in was the haggis throw.
Haggis, the national dish of Scotland, is a type of pudding composed of the liver, heart, and lungs of a sheep (or other animal), minced and mixed with beef or mutton suet and oatmeal and seasoned with onion, cayenne pepper, and other spices. The mixture is packed into a sheep’s stomach and boiled (for purposes of the throwing competition, the haggis is frozen, not piping hot).
The current world record for haggis hurling stands at an astonishing 217 feet. I did not break that record, but I will be returning to Scotland next week to attempt to beat my own record, much like the market has been attempting to these last few weeks.
