Tonight we did a taste-test for Gung Haggis Fat Choy™ Haggis Won Ton, Haggis Spring Rolls, and Haggis Lettuce Wrap.  Too much haggis?  Never too much haggis!  Everybody was amazed at how good it tasted.  I invited some of the performers and organizers, dragon boat team members for this special treat.  I ordered some of the food that we were planning for the menu and my dragon boat coaching buddy Bob Brinson joined me, tired from a day of finishing work on the Dragon boat go-carts that I had just delivered up to Simon Fraser University.  First up was special chow mein and shrimp balls with crab claws.  Bob, comedian Tom Chin, and my girlfriend Deb all pronounced this dish a delicious winner.

Also joining us for the taste testing was Opera Soprano Heather Pawsey and her husband Tim Pawsey, who just happens to be a food critic for the Vancouver Courier.  Due to a communication mistake, the first batch of haggis won ton and haggis spring rolls came up with only haggis filling.  Ugh, thought my girlfriend and me.  But Tim and Heather ate it up, remarking "This is really good, especially for somebody who likes haggis." 

Next came the haggis and vegetarian lettuce wrap.  Again some confusion and the haggis came already mixed up with the vegetables...  For the dinner, the two dishes will be served side by side, so vegetarians can enjoy the lettuce wrap, and haggis lovers can try the haggis in its traditional state... and then the fusionista-foodies can choose to mix haggis into their lettuce wrap.  But it tasted very good... the haggis from Peter Black & Sons is mixed with savoury spices and very smooth, like a nice liver pate.  "A very good haggis," remarked Tim, the renowned restaurant and food critic.  "Kind of an refined upper class haggis," somebody said, "if you can say such a thing," as we all reflected on the humble origins of Scotland's national dish.

"It's a West Vancoooouver haggis," I cooed in my imitation of a BBC Scottish Brogue, "from Park Royal South, didn't you know,"  affecting a rather stodgy air, learned from watching too many episodes of Upstairs Downstairs.  Next came the imitations of British accents from Monty Python and Benny Hill, as comedian and co-host for the dinner Tom Chin joined into the fray.

The re-done dishes of Haggis won ton and haggis spring rolls came back with the proper mixture of vegetables and water chestnuts.  "This is crunchy," exclaimed Heather.  "This is really very good," said Tim when they both tried the new won tons.

"What is haggis?" asked Nick Khystov, dragon boat paddler and volunteer for the dinner.  He and fellow dragon boater Tom Janiewicz had just arrived as Tim and Heather were leaving for concert rehearsal for her.  Haggis is the lungs, heart, liver of a sheep mixed with oatmeal and spices. 

"This one is like a nice liver pate," I informed him.  Our Russian and Polish dragon boaters tried it and liked it.  Nick and Tom really brought a wonderful multicultural mix to our Gung Haggis Fat Choy™ dragon boat team over the past two years.  They willingly try new cultural food dishes.  Introducing Nick to sangria was a wonderful experience shared by everybody.  As well, they have also recruited a number of people to the dragon boat team by telling of their wonderful multicultural experiences learned through both dragon boating and team social bonding.  I don' know any other team willing eating haggis and hosting a Robbie Burns Day dinner.  The team that eats haggis together stays together...