Nerd in Another City

This week we head to Medieval Scotland and find our inspiration in the Scottish Highlands with Merida from Disney’s Brave.

The story of Brave begins with a girl and her destiny. The fiery haired Merida wants nothing less than to be free to ride her horse through the country side, but her royal station in life dictates that she behave like a lady and marry a man worthy of her. Her mother takes great care to teach her such Queenly activities like making tapestries. Merida has no interest in that life and after finding a witch’s hut in the woods, finds a way around her current problem and casts a spell on her mother.

The spell backfires and Queen Elinor is turned into a bear and if the spell isn’t broken in time, Merida’s mother will end up that way permanently, just like her father’s arch nemesis Mor’du.

Brave is unique in the Disney cannon because it is the first time a Disney Princess isn’t looking for a Prince, trying to win the heart of a Prince or even ending up with a Prince in the end at all. Merida has no interest in marriage. She wants to live her own life and be free to choose her own path, not blindly follow destiny.

For this week’s meal plan, we take our inspiration from a traditional Scottish menu:

-Fish (salmon, trout, pike)

-Oats

-Wild Game Meats: Venison, Quail, Pheasant, Boar (substitute Boar for plain old pork and Pheasant for plain old chicken if you must)

-Turnips

-Potatoes

-Leeks

-Cabbage

-Shellfish (mussels, oysters, lobster, crab)

-Haggis (if you can handle it!)

-butter and cheeses (moderate amounts)

-Fruits (Raspberries, Strawberries, Tayberries)

-Scottish Ale (in moderation)

-Breakfast Tea

This Scottish Menu is a little heavier than what I was used to, so I went really easier on the heavier things like potatoes and cheeses and the foods I’d never had before like Haggis! But I enjoyed this menu a lot!