Newfie Night

A few weeks ago I heard that a local church was having a fundraiser for our new youth centre. The senior pastor and the youth pastor are both from Newfoundland. Since my dad has always loved Newfie music and humour and my parents toured Newfoundland years ago and loved it, I invited them. And I invited Kevin's mom because she wants to go on a bus tour in the spring. They served 125 people last year and turned away 40. This year they rented the RecPlex - big enough for 250 and it was packed.

When we arrived we went to the sample tables and had squid rings (like eating rubber), Fish'n Brewis (not bad), fish cakes (not bad), cod tongues (chewy), cod cheeks (pretty good) and Newfie Steak (fried bologna). The buffet meal was roast beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, turnip and pease pudding and salt beef. Good as well. The dessert was partridge berry pudding with lemon sauce. The skits were good and there was a 15 year old fiddler who step danced later and Highland dancers.

The end of the evening was a "sacred" ceremony called screeching in. This involves drinking screech and kissing a cod. In order to be screeched in people had to cough up $20 to nominate you. My loving family and "friends" did so behind my back and as the ringleader tried to drag me up to the stage, the "cod cops" told her she had been picked as well. Ah - sweet justice - she suffered with me. Since it was run by a church our screech was purity syrup. It was like drinking red sugar water - gross. Then I kissed the cod and became an honorary newfie. My parents were screeched in on their tour. Kevin was screeched in at the mess when we lived in Labrador (using coca-cola since we don't drink). How many of you have had the pleasure of becoming an honorary newfie?

I won a jar of partridgeberry jam as a door prize and also a dining package in the silent auction. And I got to keep the ball cap I was screeched in wearing. We had a great time and hope to go again next year.