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T U E S D A Y

That Gwenda Hyman‘s new book is titled New Cooking of Britain and Ireland presumes that the topic of Scotland’s national dish, haggis, will be politely avoided. That is good. But another question arises: Other than warm beer, kidney pie, and bland potato mush, do the sceptered isles have anything to offer, gastronomically speaking? Sure, the Earl of Sandwich had a great idea, but it took America to perfect the hamburger. And french fries, for that matter. But epicurean snobbery isn’t very palatable, so let’s just say, “Bon appétit!” Hyman discusses her book at 6:30 p.m. at Politics & Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. FREE. (202) 364-1919. (Dave Nuttycombe)