(Gaelic for Merchant)
Had the Merchant of Venice been from Glasgow he would have been
called Mharsanta de Glaschu (pronounced ‘Var-Santah de Glassie-coo)!
Not easy to say after a few drams I’m sure!
In Shakespeare’s masterpiece poor Bassiano borrowed money from his
pal Antonio to woe the classy Portia and in doing so put his friendship and his
friend’s life at risk. There are many lessons to be learned from this story.
Firstly guys, if have to buy a girl’s time and favour, is it worth having? Secondly,
you should never put anything; love, lust or money before friendship.
Love, they say, should last forever and we all know it is but a
promise. There are vows and contracts but no guarantees. True friends love you
for who you are, not what you have. I’d much rather be ‘in like’ with someone
than in love with an ideal!
All that glistens isn’t gold and lust can make you blind but lovers
can’t see the ‘pretty follies they, themselves, commit’. Sometimes judgement
can be ‘blinded by young limbs’ and a fool and his gold can be easily parted.
We all know fancy is bred in the groin and not the head. All I want is mirth
and laughter to deepen my lovely lines then my worn face will be my legacy.
I got a bit carried away there and, ‘in one fell swoop’ have
paraphrased some of the bard’s wisdom. ‘In my mind’s eye’ Shakespeare was the
king of the cliché and we loved him for it. As stated in Othello ‘I wear my
heart on my sleeve’ and I don’t care if the fabric is new or vintage; what
matters is who wants to be on my arm and who loves me for who I am and if not,
then ‘good riddance’!
The Mary and I are off to exact a pound of fleshy sausages in
Merchant City and we’re looking for a bargain so as we don’t need a Shylock. When
the going gets melancholy this Glasgow Girl reaches out to her friends in much
the same way Bassiano did with Antonio, and my girls, especially The Mary, are
always there to lend me an ear!
Mharsanta has opened on the former site of Pancho Villas on Bell
Street and they promise; ‘the very best experience from the moment you walk
through the door’. Of what I’m not sure but I am, none the less, excited and
we’re choosing from the Pre-theatre menu.
I decided on the Wild mushroom delight which was drenched in
gorgeous garlic and creamy sauce with shaved Grana Padano, served on toasted
soda bread. Oh, my Lord it was indecently salacious! If you order this be
careful what you have for seconds because it’s quite filling and I was devastated
because I actually left some food on my plate for the first time in about 15
years!
I then had the scrumptious steak and sausage pie with buttery mash
and seasonal vegetable and it was absolutely, Scottishly perfect. The Mary
opted for Shetland Mussels then Mince and tatties.
She had a problem with this dish in that it had a Poached, Hen’s
egg perched on top. She looked scared when it arrived and said it reminded her
of an old boyfriend who only had one eye and he always loved how she cooked her
mince. She thought, in some way, he’s come back to haunt her. Seriously, what a
load of mince!
I explained to The Mary how it might be because in the old days
they could have tried to add extra protein or maybe Mharsanta had an
overenthusiastic hen in the back yard. I also hit out with loads of other
theories about ‘the evil eye’ and how an egg might protect us from vampires and
witches.
After this full-on discussion about this I asked the lovely server Eilidh
why it was there, to which she replied;
“Not sure actually!”
So, there you bloody well go hen!
No rhyme nor reason for the egg!
As my auld pal Wullie S. would say;
“All’s well that ends well!”
See you the next time!
Me and The Mary.
Mx
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