Quote Originally Posted by Tartan Hiker View Post
Jock,

I read with great interest your post further up in this thread. I had always assumed that Burns suppers have always been formal affairs. To find that in times past they were more casual is quite refreshing.

There is no local Burns supper event here, which is terribly odd considering the interest in Scottish culture in this area. I've been thinking about contacting some local establishments regarding offering one next year.

May I ask, please, when you get a chance, would you elaborate a bit on what the Burns suppers you used to attend were like? If I am going to try to put something together I'd like it to be more "traditional" (there...I used the "T" word! ) and not so over the top that people will not attend because they don't have formal attire. I'm quite motivated by the idea of a less formal, less "cookie cutter" Burns celebration.

Thanks!
TH, I grew up in Asheville - and I think I might have seen a kilt twice in my life until I moved down here (and both times were individuals dressed out at Bele Chere). I would venture to say the majority of WNC native (pre-revolutionary) families have a majority of Scottish lineage, however culturally they are "Appalachian Americans" and traded pipes for fiddles and banjos about 250 years ago or so. They kept the taste for whiskey, concealed weapons, and offal though...

That being said, I am a sound believer in "If you build it, they will come". Why don't you talk to your friends at Jack of the Woods and see if they would host a Burns Night? Being in Asheville tho... I'm certain you'd get a very, very loose definition of "kilt casual".