News
Sun Burns
Updated: 2008-02-26 07:29
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If you are a crew member on Edinburgh Inspiring Capital in Singapore’s Marina at Keppel Bay, the experience this year has been slightly less traditional. Under a baking sun that nudged the mercury close to 40 degrees, aided and abetted by 75 percent humidity, it was more of a challenge to keep cool.
The team representing Scotland’s capital took part in a culinary event this afternoon that involved three skippers, the Chairman of the Clipper Race, the executive chef of a five star hotel and the Chieftain of the Singapore St Andrew’s Society.
As the haggis went into the boiling water to start cooking, the Edinburgh Inspiring Capital crew cheered on their skipper, Matt Pike, as he competed to win the honours for the best prepared roti prata. This local dish requires taking a dough mix, slamming it on an oiled surface and then, through a process of gentle slapping and spinning, transforming it into a wafer thin disc which is then fried. Competing against him was Clipper Chairman Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, Jim Dobie, the skipper of Uniquely Singapore and Cape Breton Island’s skipper Jan Ridd.
In the best traditions of the Generation Game top chef, Joseph Martin, effortlessly showed how it should be done before handing over to the contestants. Support from the Scottish team was both loud and ribald but, despite their help, the results were predictably varied. Jan Ridd’s one-time career as a professional chef clearly stood him in good stead and Joseph acknowledged that he had delivered the best results.
With the haggis now cooked, the delicacy started its journey to the table from the deck of Edinburgh Inspiring Capital led by crew member Colin Campbell playing the bagpipes. Scott Mitchell from the Singapore St Andrew's Society explained the traditions linked to the birthday of Robert Burns and, to the more gullible, he enlightened the crowd on how a fresh haggis is caught now that the hunting season has opened. Many of the berth holders in the marina had never seen, or indeed heard, such a spectacle and a large crowd quickly gathered and nodded wisely at the wisdoms being shared.
Fellow crew member Alan Campbell did an admirable job addressing the haggis before ‘His knife see rustic Labour dight, An’ cut you up wi’ ready slight, Trenching your gushing entrails bright’ slicing open the ‘Great chieftain o’ the pudding-race’ and toasted it with a large – and rather untraditionally warm dram of Benromach’s finest Speyside Single Malt Whisky.
All of this took place on a floating stage in the middle of a marina in the middle of Singapore in the middle of a heat wave. Never has the great Robert Burns had a stranger yet more memorable birthday party!
Source: Official Webesite of Clipper Round the World
