Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.04.2017, Síða 47

Scotland
Comes To Kex
Pining for pipes and piping hot haggis?
Look nae further.

Words: Ragnar Egilsson Photo: Art Bicnick
Kex holds an annual festival cel-
ebrating Scottish culture in all
its tartan regalia (sans the Be-
gbie pint glass throwing). This
two-day event of organ meat,
whistling skin bags, whisky, pale
ale and other Northern European
customs has grown into a de-
lightful annual fixture on Reyk-
javík’s culinary calendar.
This sixth celebration of Scot-
tish cultural heritage was merci-
fully devoid of tacky Scots pag-
eantry like orange plastic braids
or wildly inauthentic kilts. As a
result, the mini festival is well-
attended by Scottish and Eng-
lish expats. The only
moments it edged into
parody seemed to hap-
pen by accident—such
as the table of eight red-
headed Scottish people,
all wearing some item of
purple. I’m still not sure
if it was by design.
The Scots band Dosca per-
formed traditional and alterna-
tive Scottish music, displaying
some wonderful musicianship.
Those Scottish folk bands really can
shred, with a technical display that
rivals most speed metal groups.
The night wouldn’t be com-
plete without the usual
Burns Night menu of
haggis, mashed root
veggies and whisky
sauce. The haggis
was brilliant as al-
ways: the sauce was
a simple medley of
whisky, beef broth
and butter. The hag-
gis itself had a note of
allspice, and was cut into
breakfast slices and stacked
over a creamy mash of rutabaga
and potatoes. I sus-
pect they used tallow
in place of suet, but
it’s still far and away
the most authentic
and delicious hag-
gis you’ll find in Ice-
land—outside of an
expat Scot’s home, of
course.
However, the real surprise of
the evening was the vegan hag-
gis. The very thought of such a
thing used to bring on insanity in
God-fearing Scottish people. But I
must say that not only was this a
pleasant substitute for the usual
offal-and-suet assault of haggis,
but something I would order with
a smile any day of the week. The
sauce used a mushroom base instead
of beef stock, and the overall flavor
gained in nuttiness (barleyness?)
what it lost in texture. To this day, I
have no idea how they substituted the
mutton fat so nicely.
I overheard several expats re-
mark on the strange feeling of
displacement they got
from being inside a
temporary bub-
ble of genuine,
British pub
a t m o s p h e r e
within this
strange land
they now call
home. While
I’m far from an
expert on authen-
tic pub atmosphere,
I am inclined to agree.
The ambience was relaxed but
lively, with hearty conversations
and plenty of laughs, all while re-
maining respectful to the band on
stage (with the possible exception
of my table… sorry). And I didn’t see
anyone get sloppy drunk which, in
Iceland, is a small miracle.
Make sure not to miss the next
Burns Supper at Kex Hostel. Espe-
cially if you are sitting in an Ice-
landic fjord pining for the home-
land.
SHARE: gpv.is/kex05
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E s t . 2 0 1 2R e y k j a v i k
“Organ meat,
whistling
skin bags,
whiskey and
pale ale”
47The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 05 — 2017
An actual
Scot
Honorary Scot