So yes, you may have noticed that I am Scottish and yes I have red hair.
A tiny minority of people that I have come across in my global travels (i.e. within a 30 mile radius!) have some worrying misconceptions about us Scots and how we live.
I thought I'd better debunk some of those facts before shit gets outta hand, starting with....
WE AREN'T ALL GINGER!*
*I hate the word Ginger, with a vengeance, call me ginger, get a sore face. I'm auburn!
Like a good box of chocolate we come in many different varieties!
Including these ones ladies!
WE DON'T DRESS IN TARTAN EVERYDAY!
Kilts are expensive and heavy! My other half paid over £1000 for his kilt nearly twenty years ago.
We don't skip through the glens covered in head to toe in tartan!
Fashion has embraced tartan and designers including Vivienne Westwood have come up with some incredible designs.
HAGGIS DO NOT WANDER FREELY!
Well to be more exact they do not wander at all as they look more like this (vegetarians look away now).
I actually really enjoy haggis, it is not for everyone, especially the aforementioned vegetarians, but as long as I don't think about what is in it, it is delicious.
WE DON'T LIVE ON IRN BRU AND SHORTBREAD
I do love both these things and we are not known for having the best diets in the world but what country is? Japan probably!
Anyway we have lots of lovely food here including delicious salmon, haddock and other fish, gorgeous cheeses and tender beef.
In just about every village and town a deli has sprung up selling local produce, in my own small town we have our own coffee roasters, several artisan deli's along with our beautiful river which is full of fish!
Plus we are responsible for some kick ass chefs including Andrew Fairlie of Gleneagles Hotel and not forgetting F***ing foulmouthed Gordon Ramsay.
WE DON'T ALL LIKE WHISKY!
Can't stand the stuff, the first time I ever got drunk was on it, never touched it since. The smell makes me gag. I could be in the minority as whisky is drunk the world over.
I'm lucky enough to live within a ten minute walk of a distillery, it is actually a beautiful place but standing outside it for even a couple of minutes makes me feel tipsy from the fumes.
THE LOCH NESS MONSTER
I can neither confirm or deny Nessie's existence!
I DO NOT KNOW YOUR GREAT, GREAT, GREAT, GREAT GRANDMA
When I am able, I like to visit Florida on holiday and in my travels around the Sunshine State it never fails to amaze me the amount of people with Scottish heritage, I love it!
But I do have to bite my tongue when some of them ask if I know their family or the village where they lived. No I Don't!!!! But hey come visit us (but wait till our summer on the 15th of August at around 4pm)
WE ARE AN EXTREMELY PROUD NATION
We are proud of our inventions, creations and discoveries which include
Tarmac for Roads
Pneumatic Tyres
Telephone
Teleprinter
Television
Radar
Publishing the 1st Encyclopaedia Britannica
Penicillin
Anaesthetic
Discovery of Insulin
Discovery that mosquitoes carry malaria
Refrigerator
Bank of England!!!!
Forbes Magazine
and not forgetting most important of all....
Taylor Swift's cat, a Scottish Fold!
Well actually there are loads and loads of things that we take credit for, if you are interested a list of our inventions is here on reliable website Wikipedia, though I am pretty certain most of above is correct!
Plus the Scottish Government have this sweet info graphic which includes some more things!
PLUS WE ARE KINDA GOOD AT THE FOLLOWING TOO
PLUS SCOTTISH BLOOD RUNS THROUGH THESE VEINS!
AND SERIOUSLY THESE TWO - OMG WOW- I HAD TO DOUBLE CHECK!
To sum up, we pretty much created the modern world as we know it!
You are very welcome!
Are you of Scottish descent, could I know you relatives?
Seriously though let me know we could be related!!!
Great post! I am pretty jealous of you for living in Scotland, I went to vacation there once and I would love to visit again sometimes. Love your country! I am sure all the tartan and shortbread is mostly for the tourists, I actually own a tartan skirt and my sister a tartan tablecloth. I kinda like the tartan style, but indeed not many normal people actually walk around in it. I love shortbread and no matter how I often I try making it myself it never taste quite like the shortbread in scotland. I especially love the sheep shaped ones. I also love the sheep, I still have a sheep plushie from that vacation as well.
ReplyDeleteI remember when we crossed the border from england to scotland, there was this restplace on the side of the road that sold all things tartan, nessie and shortbread. I also visited a nessie shop close to loch ness. I think I have a stone nessie souvernir still lying around somewhere.
I have no idea what that haggis thing is, it looks prety gross, but then again I didn't listen to your warning to look away. Even though I am a vegetarian I don't mind seeing meat, I even prepare meat for my boyfriend sometimes.
It's always fun to see how many stereotypes there are about a country and how little of them are true. I didn't realize Obama has scottish blood!
Thanks for a great reply Lola!
DeleteThe touristy shops are full of tartan and shortbread, tartan can be lovely in the right place, my friend has lovely tartan cushions and a bag too.
I have never been to Loch Ness, my daughter wants to see Nessie so maybe we will go and visit this summer!
Haggis is yum but best not to think about what is in it!!!
I love Walker's Shortbread! I CAN live off of that!
ReplyDeleteAre you tall? I've noticed Scots are very tall and I so love y'all's accent. Also, I saw on TV (warning: might be an ignorant comment) that family tartans are still alive and well. Like it dates back to the clans. What's yours? I so want to see!
I wish I was tall, I come from a family of small people, I'm just over 5 foot! I made up for it by marrying a 6ft 4inches giant, my kids are going to be tall too!!
DeleteYep we do have family tartans, I would be Clan Ross which is my maiden name, you get different versions of it, will see if I can get a picture of it!
I love this post! One of these days I will get to see Scotland with my own eyes. The closest I've been was crashing the Scottish festival in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Which was loads of fun for the minute we were walking through it. (Why go miles around and get lost when you can take the straight path?) Kilts everywhere, my day was made. "We don't skip through the glens covered in head to toe in tartan!" I know that to be true, but my heart cried a little at that.
ReplyDeleteI've got a bit of Scottish blood myself. But I don't know too much about that side of my family for certain reasons. One day I might sneak and learn about it.
Dreams @ Once Upon A Dream Books
You should definitely come visit!
DeleteWe have lots of Highland festivals and games where the men still wander about in their kilts plus whenever there is a wedding you will see loads of men in kilts, it is a wonderful sight.
When I got married I got all the men in kilts to stand together so I got a great tartan pic!
I love this so much!! Although out of my direct family my Nana was the only person born in Scotland, all 4 of my grandparents surnames are of Scottish descent 3 of which have tartans!
ReplyDeletexo
Thank you Danielle!!
DeleteAll of my family down in England in Bedfordshire have still got their Scottish surnames too.
For a small country we have spread ourselves about a lot!
I have been to Scotland before so I got to experience some things first hand, but not everything. I also know quite a bit about it because I have a Scottish best friend as well! Who is also vegetarian, so no haggis there, ahaha. But I am glad to hear you like the Scottish lifestyle and are setting people to rights when it comes to stereotypes ^^
ReplyDeleteI suppose one thing about us Scots is that we don't mind poking fun at our stereotypes!
DeleteI think you do get vegetarian haggis, I dread to think what is in it though!
I come from the Celtic part of France, Brittany, but nope, no Scottish blood in spite of the red hair ! I visited Scotland many years ago, mostly Inverness and its surroundings. Scotland is such a gorgeous country, I'd love to go back there... and sip some whisky along with eating Shortbread - so goooood ;)
ReplyDeleteShortbread is something kinda wonderful, especially the round ones coated with brown sugar, mmmmm!
DeleteI always forget that France has Celtic heritage too!