Craig Riecke

A Castle I Can Live With

"I think it stopped bleeding," The Craigmillar Castle caretaker says, dabbing at the gash on my head. "It doesn't hurt," I reply. "I'm really sorry about this. I thought I was ducking down far enough" "Oh no worries. It

Stove Lust

Cooking is one of the most delightful, most fulfilling activities on Earth. Also, it's a total pain in the ass. Making food taste really, really good requires an awful lot of face time. You must plan your menu very thoughtfully. You must shop for the freshest and best

Sharing

"Edinburgh ... you gotta share with the tourists." John pointed his plastic cup of beer at me. "But Glasgow. Now that's where you come to have fun!" Everyone knows share and fun do not belong in the same experience. It has to be one or

A Wee Dram

Finally found out what that smell was! Man, if I had a nickel for everytime I said that in my life. But this. This was the particularly confounding case of the Edinburgh Smell. And yes, there is an Edinburgh Smell. I'm not just imagining it. In an older

Scottish Cuisine

Every culture has its emblematic food. France has tender, juicy escargots. Australia has Shrimp on the Barbie. New York City has chopped cheese. What does Scotland have? Its Own Food Group Haggis. When I told people Amy and I were moving to Scotland for 6 months, their number 1 response

Daylight

Not liking the Beatles is as perverse as not liking the sun. -- Anthony DeCurtis, The Rolling Stone Record Guide Well, I'm not liking the sun these days. Also the Beatles suck, but that's another blog post. You Say Yes, I Say No Amy and I

The Reverend John Dorcas

I need a kilt. At the Ceilidh dances, I look like an American tourist, what with my Levi's 505 jeans and all. Disgraceful. Look. I can do the Gay Gordons, the Military Two-Step, the Virginia Reel, the Strip the Willow, the Canadian Barn Dance, the Dashing White Sergeant,

Three Intermezzos

One of my favorite writers is Amy Hempel. She specializes in writing really really short stories, like one or two pages long. Hempel was once asked for a writing tip. She replied, "cut out all the boring parts". Westminster Abbey Amy and I are in Westminster Abbey and

Living in Metric

The US government almost did something bold, sweeping, deep, and utterly rational in the 1970's. I know Millenials will find this hard to believe. But I lived through it, so I know. They almost switched to the metric system. As a 9 year old, my school (Lincoln Elementary

Ottolenghi

Amy and I are in Yotam Ottolenghi's restaurant ROVI in London. Our server pops over and pours us glasses of tap. We ask if Ottolenghi is hanging around. "I just started working here," she replies. "I don't think I'd know him

Gone to the Dogs

When Amy found the Scottish Kennel Club All Breed - 4 days of rollicking canine mayhem at the Royal Highland Showground in Ingliston, I wasn't exactly jazzed about it. I'm not a "dog person". Not their target demographic. I said, "Meh, I'

Giving Blood

TL;DR The post-donation snacks are better. Having said that, I am only in the UK for 6 months. I sign up to give blood the second week I'm here. I tell the intake person at the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, and she asks, "You are