Tanis L.
Yelp
One evening in Berkeley, California, out to dinner with some friends at a Korean restaurant, I shared that I was heading to Scotland in July of 2019 and asked if anybody had been and had any recommendations for places to go. Probing why I was going a little, they got out of me I am of the Gordon Clan of Aberdeenshire, a Scotland of Old clan. One of my friends exclaimed, "Gordon!" He paused, looked me directly in the eyes and said, "You know we're rivals right?!" He is Nate James Lindsey. A member of the Lindsey Clan, one of the Gordon Clan's rival clans in Scotland of Old.
Once we addressed our rival ancestries, he recommended to me The Baked Potato Shop in Edinburgh, the city I was flying into/out of for my first trip not only to Scotland, but to Europe as well. Well, I might as well go I thought, how bad can a rival clan recommendation be.
The night I arrived in Edinburgh, 5 July 2019, I entered The Baked Potato Shop and was greeted by a friendly worker. After looking over the menu, I went with a baked potato loaded with vegan chilli and vegan Macsween haggis. After placing my order, paying, and getting the baked potato I thought the only thing missing from my first ever evening in Scotland was bagpipe music. No sooner had I thought that than I heard the sounds of bagpipes wafting across the cobbled lane out front of the Shop.
Across the cobbled lane I went, lured by the wail of the bagpipes. After listening for a bit and providing a tip I returned to the guest house I was staying the night at. The food was delicious and filled my travel-tired belly. The haggis was the first I had of any kind, vegan or non-vegan, and it was an immediate favorite. Offset from my departure time zone by 8 hours, I went to sleep soon after eating. I woke up early the next morning ready to go. Turns out the baked potato and toppings cured my jet lag in less than 24 hours, quite remarkable.
What a way to end my first day in Scotland, a recommendation from a member of a rival Scotland of Old clan yields tasty food. I will however note that I am also of Irish descent, so I am still not sure what to make of the recommendation in light of the Irish Potato Famine... Ahhh, Scotland of Old lives on.