Haggis, Pudding, and other Scottish Food

Ok, so I know I've mentioned food a lot in my blog posts...but hey, food is a very important topic! I kind of need it to survive. Unfortunately, I have been told by several people that Scotland is not known for its food. I was on the St. Andrews website a few days ago looking at the Resident Halls and trying to figure out which ones cater (I'm not ready to cook all on my own yet), and I found an example menu.

First off, IT MENTIONED PEANUT BUTTER!!! Now I know that I won't completely starve, at least not at breakfast!

 :)









I was relieved to see a few familiar items on the menu. Bacon, scrambled eggs, hash browns, cereal, granola, fresh fruit for breakfast, and soups, salads, and sandwiches for lunch and dinner. This I can deal with.

But, there are some other items I'm a little less sure about. For example, haggis! It was the third option down in the breakfast category. I was wondering when haggis would make an appearance; it is an infamously Scottish dish! For those who don't know, haggis is sheep's heart, liver, lungs, onion and spices cooked inside the sheep's stomach. It is traditionally served with "neeps and tatties" (rutabaga and potato). What an interesting combination of ingredients... I've heard that it is better than the description implies, and it must be since it's been around for centuries, but I think I might hold off on that adventure for a while.

 Haggis!

Haggis is also a mythological creature found in the Scottish Highlands with two legs longer than the other so it can quickly scamper around the steep hills. Apparently 30% of Americans believe that the haggis is a real creature...I'm not falling for it.






My friend Alexandra has also told me to stay away from pudding! Pudding has a very different meaning in Britain (haggis is considered a pudding), but I'm not entirely sure what the meaning is. Pudding confuses me, so I'm going to stay away from it until I know exactly what I'm getting myself into (black pudding is listed under Breakfast as well). She also warned me to stay away from all sausage.

There were some things on the menu that made me laugh. First of all, it mentions "Americano Pizza." What is American pizza and how is it different than any other pizza? I'm really confused. It also mentions a chicken fajita wrap! Ok, being from Texas, that's going to be interesting. I think I need to bring some of the Tex Mex with me! To all of my future Scottish friends, be prepared to try queso. :)

Alright, now that I have listed some of the things I'm going to avoid, I need to figure how what I want to try! I'm not keen on the idea of starving, and if I'm going to live in a different country, I want to be a little adventurous! First step: try to learn to like fish. I'll be on the coast of the North Sea, so I'm sure there will be an abundance of fish to try. I'll report back on the success of that mission.

Language Barriers

One good thing about studying abroad in Scotland is that I won't have to worry about learning a new language. However, American English, and more specifically Texan English, is very different than Scottish English.

Here are some basic examples:

• jumper = sweater
• biscuit = cookie
• wellies = rain boots
• chips = french fries
• plaster = band aid
• torch = flashlight

These aren't too hard to pick up on, but I am afraid that I'm going to say something with one intention and my friends are going to pick up on a very different meaning. Fortunately, one of my friends here is kindly compiling a list called "UK Dictionary, Idioms, and Other Stuff To Avoid." I think this will be very helpful, especially the "other stuff to avoid" part. I really like knowing what to avoid!

I was talking to my parents about this a couple of days ago, and apparently in Britain food is often referred to by its French name. I know almost no French, and I don't think the 4+ years of Spanish that I've taken will help me in this situation. So I guess I'll spend the first month having no idea what I am eating...Sounds like an adventure!

Finally, a new issue was brought up that I had never thought of before: spelling. Not only do Americans speak differently, we spell differently! I suppose I'll have to learn to insert u's into many of my words. I'm also wondering if I'll get points taken off of my papers for any spelling differences. Do professors even take points off for spelling in college? Let's hope not. 

http://strangefunnyworld.com/american-english-vs-british-english/

So true.....

Also, anybody who is just dying to know the specific differences between American and British English in grammar, culture, vocab, and writing should visit the Wikipedia site, which is surprisingly extensive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_and_British_English_differences

Oh, and shout out to all of my future Scottish friends who decide to read my past posts: I WILL NOT STOP SAYING YA'LL! :P

Inspector Lewis

So, a couple of weeks ago, my mom got me into this British crime show called Inspector Lewis. It is a spin-off of Inspector Morse, which aired about fifteen years ago, and is based off of the Inspector Morse novels by Colin Dexter. It stars Kevin Whately as D.I. Robby Lewis and Laurence Fox as Sergeant James Hathaway. They live in Oxford and solve the various dramatic and mysterious crimes that happen in the town.



It's a really good show! The episodes are well written and complex, and the characters are likeable (Hathaway is my favorite!). It doesn't have the same action-packed plots that most crime shows have, but it's a very intellectual show. You really have to pay attention to what's going on. But I enjoy not being able to predict what is going to happen. It's interesting that it takes place in Oxford. Hathaway went to Cambridge, so there is an underlying rivalry always present.

But what also caught my attention is how they depict student life and classes at Oxford! Whenever they show scenes of lectures, it is always a small group of brilliant kids sitting around a fancy sitting room or coffee shop drinking tea and having an intellectual philosophical or historical discussion with their professor. How prestigious. I know this is stereotyped and probably exaggerated, but it has made me wonder what my classes at St. Andrews will be like. Somehow I don't think my classes will be quite like that. Though I like the idea of studying at some quaint little coffee shop in St. Andrews.

Anyway, I haven't had time to finish the series yet, but I plan on doing that soon! Each season has four 90 minute episodes, and there are four or five series. But, Spring Break starts today, so I'll actually have some free time! Yay Spring Break! Plus it is cold and rainy, so I think I am going to get a cup of tea and go watch more of my new favorite detective show.