POUTINE – pronounced, of course, poo-TIN – is to Canada what, how shall we say it, haggis is to the Scottish. Both are misunderstood national culinary dishes that serve to unite proud peoples as one.
For Canadians this famed dish from rural Quebec – French fries, covered in a light brown gravy-like sauce and then topped with cheese curds – bridges the language divide.
There are no politics when consuming poutine – something that usually takes place late in the evening in a pub after the consumption of alcoholic beverages.
And in Kingston, Ontario, the home Canadian community of the Glasgow-born Sir John A. Macdonald, this nation’s Father of Confederation, poutine has been adapted as one way for the visiting Scot to mark Macdonald’s bicentennial in 2015.
Yes, you read that. Haggis-Poutine. At Sir John’s Public House in downtown Kingston – a restaurant and pub located in the very building where Sir John A. Macdonald had his law offices before becoming Canada’s Prime Minister in 1867 – this dish has quickly become legendary.
The dish maintains the cheese curds and gravy of course but is topped off by – you guessed it – haggis.
Don’t believe me? Here is Hugh Segal of Kingston on Haggis-Poutine. Until 2014, Segal, who hails from Montreal, served in Canada’s Senate, an appointed body much like the UK’s House of Lords.
Being a Macdonald buff , Segal, like Sir John A before him, is a proud Canadian Conservative in his political affiliation, the retired Senator often eats at Sir John’s Public House.
“The dish unites the often allied French and Scottish political interest over history in a culinary and imaginative way,” he says. “I’m confident that Scottish visitors will enjoy this unique dish and I’m also confident that Macdonald of Kingston, a proud Scottish-Canadian lad, would look upon this dish with great favour.”
See http://foodandheritage.com/sir-johns-public-house/ for more information.
Even today, it is impossible to consider Kingston’s history and present without acknowledging the proud role Macdonald and other Scots played in this community’s development. A case in point is Queen’s University, one of Canada’s leading post-secondary institutions.
Sir John A and other Scottish immigrants played a key role in the university’s founding in the 19th century. Macdonald and his family were also key players at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church on the city’s main street, Princess Street. And, Sir John A. also served as President of the community’s St. Andrew’s Society that is still active in Kingston.
But back to 2015 and the 200th birthday party for Sir John A. Kingston and all Canadians are throwing this entire year.
Like Canadians, today’s Scots are known to enjoy beer and spirits. Here in Kingston, this year’s Spirits of Kingston Whiskey Festival – February 19-21, see http://www.kingstonwhiskyfestival.com/ for details and tickets – will have a decidedly Macdonald bicentennial theme. Participants will be boarding a bus to visit various downtown Kingston establishments where experts will discuss Sir John A.
Kingston beer historian Alan MacLeod says the Scot will feel right at home here. “I would suggest Scots traveling to Kingston should go to the Kingston Brewing Co. on Clarence St for the sights of the North American and British beer memorabilia as well as an oatmeal stout in Ontario’s oldest continuous brew pub,” he says. “Then head north a few blocks to the Red House on King Street East for a taste of some of Ontario’s newest craft beers and then, up the hill to Stone City Ales on Princess for a taste of Kingston’s new production brewery with perhaps a take away growler of their saison or American IPA.”
In Canada’s capital city of Ottawa, about a two-hour drive from Kingston, the Scottish Society of Ottawa has spearheaded a national Kilt Skate Day that will be held across the country Macdonald founded on January 31.
In Ottawa, home of the world’s longest outdoor skating rink the Rideau Canal, Montreal, Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Calgary, all are invited to don their kilts and skate in Macdonald’s honour.
“The Scots are a hardy people, so we invite everyone to summon their inner Scot and get out on the ice in a kilt, a tartan, or some other Scottish wear to celebrate the bicentennial of our first Prime Minister,” Don Cummer from the society says. Further details can be found at: http://www.thescottishsocietyofottawa.com/kilt-skate-day/ .
Happy 200th Sir John A. and to the people of Scotland, thank you for sharing such a fine leader with us.
Arthur Milnes, a freelance journalist and former speechwriter to Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, is the City of Kingston’s Official Sir John A. Macdonald Bicentennial Ambassador.
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