These are a few of my least favorite things…
So, dear friends have gently insisted that since I am going to the Isle of Gaels that I must embrace some of its bounties. Including, but not limited to, woolen tights, plaid skirts, merino sweaters (or jumpers, as it were), fish and chips and… cullen skink. Okay, so I can do tights and sweaters in my sleep (although that might necessitate fewer blankets.), and research has shown that ye olde skink is not a lizard as was previously joked (and it WAS a joke. Mostly.), but I’m still not sure if I’m down with the chunks-o-fish stew. As a matter of fact, let me stop lying and buoying your hopes: So NOT down with it. Not at ALL. I don’t think I can even manage the smell, and I (sorry, Jac) may not even …um… try. Sorry!
Funny Quote of the Day – Mike Myers – “My theory is that all of Scottish cuisine is based on a dare.”
I do believe Mr. Myers knows from strange foods, but he’s… Canadian. I’m sure someone else can best speak on that…
But can we just speak for a moment on the color (or, rather, colour) aesthetic going on in Scottish flats?! I have been looking at “letting” guides and contacting various agents to see what’s out there, knowing that we are probably looking very early, but wanting to get a feel for things. Well. My ‘feel’ is that some people consider ‘neutral’ to be a yellowy-green, there are far too many red wool carpets and white furnishings in the country, Council Taxes are phone codes are bewildering and a royal pain, and green linoleum, kitchen tiles, and purple walls are against nature.
Seriously. Just to entertain yourself, you must look sometime at housing for University students. It’s sort of eye-popping and alarming. I’m all for whimsy and kitsch, but I’d like to put it there myself. It’s hard to take seriously a place with a toy stovetop, mini-fridge and purple walls. (The bus for the Magical Mystery Tour stops here!) I’m a little at a loss to figure out districts, neighborhoods and more, but I do know that when a feature of the listing mentions ‘plenty of bars’ as part of the amenities… maybe not. I finally tried to explain to an agent that we wanted some place reasonably close to school, but not ‘university digs.’ I don’t know how else to explain it – more executive? Rather smart? Who knows?
I found something that will perhaps occupy the imagination. We know of a gent who taught himself Welsh and has been living in Wales for a year now. Well, we now present the newest challenge:Teach Yourself Gaelic. Oh, come on. You know you want to.
You know you want to.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Tha Gaidhlig agamsa – bidh mi gad fhaicinn ann an Glaschu – ok, I’ll stop teasing you with my budding Gaelic.
If you like the taste of smoked fish, you would probably like cullen skink – it has quite a creamy texture. I’m thinking that maybe a chowder is nearest in description??? Now, ceann cropaig would be an aquired taste – Gaelic for stuffed fish heads (cod, I think) yummy ;0( ANd what about eating guga – that’s gannet to you. A yearly event going back about 500 years….http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,,1833983,00.html
Don’t worry, some of the local cuisine isn’t that challenging!
India
And remember, I can give you a few hints on tips about where not to rent…
India
Oh, I hear you about non-student housing, but wanting something close to a campus!
Well, you’ll have your own kitchen so should be able to control the fish situation 🙂 You haven’t even mentioned haggis or sweetbreads….
At least you’ll have treacle.
All righty, Ms. Midsummer. There will BE none of that guga. Thanks for the article, though. It’s always good to remember that not even everyone here likes all the same things.
Strong duck stewed in cod liver oil and salt …Euuuch.
Any tips welcome – the big question now on the letting is whether or not to look for something sandstone; we have been warned that we will always be cold and damp in those and never warm up.
Additional questions: Is white metre heating gas heat? What on earth is an electric shower – I assume it has its own electric water heater (or else showering in Scotland is very risky and exciting!). Toward what do council taxes apply? Are there benefits and drawbacks to certain areas, i.e., if the CT is higher, does it mean that it’s a better neighborhood?
Most of my questions aren’t life-altering, I am simply eaten by curiosity.
What I wonder? I wonder how much we should be planning on spending for housing, as we’ve no real idea what “reasonable” would be, coming from the SF Bay Area. I mean, really, the prices seem … well, just all insanely low. Not that I’m complaining, mind you, but I keep wondering what the catch is.
Wow – white meter – it’s a while since I heard that. Form my memory, it’s electric, which is pretty expensive way to heat your home.
Council tax is what pasy for the amenities (or lack thereof, I sometimes think!) – so street lighting, rubbish collection, street cleaning, possibly the public libraries, things like that. Yes – higher Council TAx means a better neighbourhood in general, but again it is always best to check.An electric shower means that the water is heated by the electricity at the shower – it isn’t mixing hot and cold water from storage tanks. Unless you have a gas combi-boiler like ours, electric showers are generally seen to be A Goood Thing – depending upon the powere rating of the shower…#
We live in a sandstone building – it isn’t damp and it is warm! All depends on how well they are maintained, the size of the rooms, insulation etc.
I’m on a course right now, but if I get time I’ll have a look at some prices online to give you an idea of what I think is a reasonable price in a reasonable area – are you talking renting initially, then buying??? Might be a few days before I can do this but I’ll let you know.
Hope all is going well….
India
Gene
I’m assuming that haggis is out? 😉
Good luck finding a flat without all the “decorator touches”