Robbie Burns, however, succeeded in appeasing their wrath.
"Calm yourselves," said he; "this gentleman is certainly a better judge of his own value than you can be."
CHAPTER XXIV.
The Staff of Life in Scotland.—Money is round and flat.—Cheap Restaurants.—Democratic Bill of Fare.—Caution to the Public.—"Parritch!"—The Secret of Scotland's Success.—The National Drink of Scotland.—Scotch and Irish Whiskies.—Whisky a very slow Poison.—Dean Ramsay's best Anecdote.
n Scotland, the staff of life is porridge, pronounced parritch by the natives.
Porridge is served at breakfast in every Scotch home, from the castle to the cottage. It is the first dish at breakfast, or the only one, according to the income.
Porridge is a food which satisfies and strengthens, and which, it seems, is rich in bone-forming matter.
Many a brave young Scotch undergraduate, with rubicund face and meagre purse, breakfasts off a plate of porridge which he prepares for himself, while ces messieurs of Oxford breakfast like princes.