Chicago Style Deep-Dish Pizza!

I had a friend over last night and decided it would be fun to allow her to experience a little bit of Chicago. I had never made a deep-dish pizza before, so it was going against my rules to experiment on friends. I did some research and found some recipes. I never knew that they used cornmeal in the crust! I also never knew that corn meal would be rather tricky to find here.

So, I went at it. Of course, like always, I didn't plan very well and we ended up eating really late. Our cooker takes about twice as long to cook anything and for anyone that has been to Giordano's or the like, you know it takes them 50 minutes to cook the pizza. Well, when Sam walked in and saw the uncooked pizza she said, "Wow! Is that the pizza?" And throughout the course of the evening she kept saying, "Wow! This is fab!" It's so funny because after living in Chicago, deep-dish is the only way to go. Sam laughed at me as I took my first bite, sighed deeply, and said, "It's been so long!"

Sam also brought over some ginger beer, which is like ginger ale as I remember it, but a bit more gingery. It is so much fun to exchange a wee bit of our culture with friends.

Stirling Castle

Ta Dah!

The long awaited trip to Stirling. I told some of you that I gave Josh a trip to Stirling for Christmas. Well, he cashed in on his gift last weekend and we took the train out.

Stirling Castle is much like Edinburgh Castle in that it is on a high volcanic rock. It also has a rich history. Many kings had been crowned in Stirling Castle. This is where James VI (son of Mary Queen of Scots) lived during her reign. You can find more history here: http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/stirling/stirlingcastle/
index.html

We also went out to eat! A very welcomed treat for us. We found a cozy lodgy sort of restaurant called Papa Joes and had great paninis for lunch.

Spring Semester

Hiya!

I started my second semester classes last week. It will be a little busier than last time, but I'm doing what I love, so I'm sure it will go by quickly. I'll be reading and discussing works from Ignatius, Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Eusebius, Athenasius, Egeria, Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom and others in my Early Christian Writers course. This one has been a real delight so far.
In the second half of my core course, we'll be working our way through the Augsburg and Second Helvetic Confessions, Council of Trent and Vatican II, as well as the topics of biblical criticism, industrialisation, science, ecumenism, and BEM; considering the contexts in which they were formulated and how they interacted with and helped shape theology over the centuries.
Also for this semester, I figured I should learn a little about Scotland while I'm here, so I have a course that looks at the position of the church in late medieval Scotland (1400-1550). I've already had to do a fair amount of background reading just to be able to be a part of the discussion. I think I'll pick up a lot of good research techniques from this course. We'll be taking some field trips to some of the local museums and art galleries to familiarise ourselves with the period.
All of my classes have closed circuit blogs that we post on prior to class to try and get discussion going before we arrive. We take turns posting on a topic and then everyone else in the class adds their thoughts or criticisms. It seems to work very well. I also like how in the middle of our 2 hour class, we all break for tea and biscuits (cookies) and chat for ten minutes. It really helps make it a congenial and relaxed atmosphere.
So this is life as a student again. I think it is a little easier this time around getting 8 hours of sleep every night and having a wife who makes sure I eat right. De has been a big support and a wonderful sounding board for my wacky ideas.
I hope I haven't bored you, but just wanted to give you a little idea what this semester is going to look like. Thanks, everyone, for the occasional packages, emails, and cards--we appreciate it!

Joshua

Edinburgh Castle

Josh and I used some Christmas money that was given to us to buy a Historic Scotland pass today. It will grant us free entry to all Historic Scotland sites for one year. We went to the castle to purchase the pass with no intention of entering the castle. The lady gave us passes anyway, so while Josh had to leave to study, I did a little exploring! This was just a brief visit, so we will have more pictures when we actually take a day to visit. As always, more pics on the flickr site...

Midnight Alarm

We were jerked out of our sleep last night by some ungodly noise. I jolted up in bed to find Josh already up and rummaging around. I said, "What in the world is that?!" I looked at the clock which said 12:something, but it could have been nine or noon for all I knew. Nothing was clicking. Josh said I think it's an alarm. I lay back down as I thought he was going to check it out, but I realized he was getting ready to go outside, and I should go, too. The noise kept on so we found some warm clothes incase we had to stand outside for an hour.

I was suprised and how slowly everyone was heading down the stairs, but some of them were just waking up like us. I was also suprised how casually everyone was standing around on the building steps and in the courtyard. We had to push our way out. The fire brigade appeared and wasn't sure which building to enter. Our security guy took them into our building.

It still did not click that it was only midnight and some of these kids had not gone to bed yet. I walked out to see some girls with their hair done up and though, "What, did they do their hair for this?" Then we spotted some of Josh's classmates who said they were just returning from a midnight chippie run. It was then that I realized, we are old!

It must have just been smoke from someone's burnt cooking or something. A few minutes after the fire brigade entered the building they came out and allowed us back in. It was such a jolt out of sleep that it was hard to get back to sleep and it made Josh and I feel rather sick.

Ah! Dorm living...

Chinese New Year Ball

Just something I found funny. University of Edinburgh is having a student festival, showcasing a bunch of student groups while providing services for the students (dance classes, film and debates, etc.). One thing I found humerous was the description for an event put on by the Asian Friends Society for Chinese New Year: "The evening features a 3-course chinese dinner, ceilidh*, kung fu and much more!" If you don't get it, you can e-mail me. :)

*Ceilidh, pronounced 'kay-lee' is a traditional Irish or Scottish gathering where there is music and dancing (much like square dancing or country dance).

How Things are Different, cont.

I think this should be my last installment of my "Differences" series. :) They are sort of random, so I will just get through them quickly. I apologize if I repeat anything I already said. I just don't feel like going back to look at my other posts. Lazy me...

A band-aid is called a 'plaster'. Took me a while to figure that one out ('And WHY do you want me to put a plaster on my finger?')
Dessert is 'pudding,' but they don't really know what pudding is as we know it.
Eggs are left out of the fridge.
TV tax. I can't remember exactly, but it costs roughly $300/year/TV.
Grocery delivery. YEAH!!!
Universal health care.
A dumpster is a skip. So I guess rather than 'dumpster diving' one would go 'skip skipping'?
The windows don't have screens.
Write the date backwards. So today is 18/01/06 or 18 January.
A daily planner is a diary.
The cashiers at the grocery store get to sit.
Suspenders are braces.
Workout pants are joggies.
Tennis shoes are trainers.
The burner on the stove is a hob or gasser (even if it is electric).
Maybe texting has become more popular in the States, but anyone with a mobile phone does much of their communication through texting.
Boxing Day is a bigger holiday than Christmas Eve.
Most enjoy a big meal with family on New Year's Day. Everything is closed and going out for brunch is rather foreign.
There is only one store I can find Monteray Jack cheese, and it specializes in Mexican and American foods.

I have a friend who is getting married soon. Maybe I will have a list for different British wedding customs to come!

I meant to tell you, when you look at our pictures on the flickr site, you can leave comments for each pictures. Just click the comments button. It could help me in deciding if I should make cards out of any of them, though lots of the pictures are just for fun...

Arthur's Seat Again

We had another trip up to Arthur's Seat yesterday. Josh was excited because he just got his binoculars which he has dearly missed every time we go somewhere scenic. We were fortunate enough to have good weather for our hike, though it did look like some storm cloud were coming in! Don't forget to look at our photos link for more pictures.

How Rude!

Amidst all of the wonderful customers we get at Starbucks, there are always bound to be a couple of rotten ones. Just one such customer came in today.

A little bit of background information first. First off, the Starbucks I work in is in a pretty wealthy neighborhood. It is not uncommon that we see a Rolls Royce or Porche parked outside while the owner runs in for their daily fix. Secondly, Starbucks (as many other cafes here) charges a slightly higher price to eat in. It is for VAT tax. Like for a muffin, it is 15p more to eat in as opposed to taking away.

Ok, so this lady comes in. She is looking at the pastry case, fidgeting through her coin purse, and huffing and puffing. She finally come up and says that she will have a fruity bagel bar. I ask if she will be sitting in or taking away. She says, "Well, I can't afford to sit in with THESE prices! This is really ridiculous!" I smile and say, "Well, you can phone Starbucks about that if you like." She goes on and on and finally says, "Well, it cuts into YOUR tips by charging so much!" I am standing there with my mouth open and my manager comes over and says in his booming, thick Glaswegian accent, "Thus us qualutay!" I agree that Starbucks is expensive, and it is twice as much here as it is in the States, but whoever takes out their frustrations with prices on the server is a fool! Really! And I don't think I am being to harsh. Here I am working a job below my means and qualifications, serving you with a smile and an enthusiastic, "hiya!" You do not even acknowledge my greeting, then you accuse me of personally charging you too much for a fruity bagel bar, which I would have to work about 20 minutes to pay for, and you, maybe 20 seconds. I continue to smile and make light of things while you proceed to tell me you will not be leaving ME a tip because I charge too much. And with a stunned smile on my face I say, "Bye, now."

Gold Coast: A Little Taste of Home

I was so excited yesterday when my manager asked if there was a certain kind of coffee I wanted for my partner markout. 'Do we have anymore Gold Coast?' I quickly asked. 'No' she said, then, 'Oh, wait. Yes, we do.' Yeah! I made it today and was in heaven! Yes, this is coffee Chicago style. I also realized the Brits habit of putting milk in their coffee was not cutting it. I started putting double cream in it and noticed a dramatic difference.

Some drinks I miss that our Starbucks doesn't carry:
Raspberry Mocha
Valencia Mocha
Malt Mocha Frappaccino
Pumpkin Spice Latte
Iced Chai Latte

Scarves Galore!

I have been getting so much wonderful yarn from mom to keep me busy. Hmmm...maybe e-bay would come in handy now.

Look What We Got!

ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE THINGS YOU FORGOT YOU MISSED

A New Wish List

I feel funny doing this, but I have had a few requests for things we would like.

Just a reminder. If you can manage to fit it in an envelope it should be cheaper than sending a box. We can wait the 4-6 weeks if you want to send it by boat. :) If you want to air mail it, don't bother with Global Priority. Mark it as a gift and don't mark the value over $30 or we could get charge VAT.

Jelly Bellies (esp sour)
pudding mix
Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce (not sure how well that will actually mail)
zip lock bags (I still have some from home which I am savoring)
taco seasoning
Quaker granola bars
instant oatmeal (I can make this, so not a must)
small bottle of hand sanitizer
cherry Andies mints
chili cheese Fritos (haven't found any crisps here we like)
dried berry fruit mix (mom sent a lovely one with rasp, blue, cherry, straw)
beef jerky
cookies and mint Hershey bars

As we have been adjusting we find that some of those foods we desired in the beginning can be replaced by other foods, or we can just do without. New things come up that we realized we miss (like those flavored coffee creamers!) or mom sends something and gets us hooked (like Jelly Bellies and cherry Andies). A couple of items have stood the test of time, like the Fritos and pudding.

Of course, one thing we would love more than anything is letters. It is funny how I miss getting junk mail!

Happy New Year!

We made our attempt to experience Hogmanay. As we approached Prince's Street the crowd was so thick we could not move forward but the crowd behind was pushing heavily against us. We decided to turn and head back up the Mound and wait to enjoy the fireworks. We saw a nice display coming from the Castle mound as well as from Calton Hill and somewhere in the west. It is now 1am and we can still hear the celebration going on.

Torchlight Procession

Tonight was the kickoff for the Hogmanay celebrations. There was a torchlight procession which started at St. Gile's Cathedral, then headed down the Mound and on up to Calton Hill. Torches were £4 and all proceeds went to charity. We had planned to participate in the procession, but forgot about it until today at dinnertime when we heard thunderous explosions that would make one think the castle was being bombed! These were the fireworks that began the procession. We put dinner on hold and ran outside to watch. Josh forgot his torch, though (flashlight = torch).

We had snow today...

Well, if that's what you want to call it. It was little more than frost to me! :)

Charlie Brown Christmas

For those who have asked, here is our Christmas Twee. Thanks to Grandma for the lights and Chris and Sarah for the scented pine cones.


We hope you all have a merry Christmas. Thank you for the cards and calls.



Why do you celebrate?

'Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.'
'Lift up your voice with a shout...say to the towns of Judah, "Here is your God!"
'Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Chrst the Lord.'


And our Lord says, "Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Some Christmas Sights

We went to see Narnia today. I liked it, but Josh said he was disappointed. On our way back from the theater we got to see Santa's reindeer! They were all just standing (or laying) around. I guess they are storing up energy for the weekend.



After visiting the reindeer we stopped by the nativity at the other end of Prince's Street Gardens.

To Brenda's House We Go

A dear lady from St. Augustine invited us as well as some of the other newer 'young folk' over to her house last night. When we arrived she took us to her parlor to sit by the fireside and chat. She then stuffed us with a wonderful 3 course meal of smoked mackerel with salad, 'spanish loaf' (a tomatoey lamb and pork dish) with veg (potatoes, carrots, and green beans), and strawberry and raspberry fools. She then took us back to the parlor for coffee and chocolates. It was a lovely night, but we all felt that Ms. Brenda was just beginning at 11pm while we were all ready for our beds!
Brenda told us delightful stories of her experience as a librarian at the University of Edinburgh and her world travels. She also just finished a book and expects it to be published in the new year! We are looking forward to visiting with her again when she can show us slides of her coming trip to Australia and have tea in her garden.
The pictures above were taken just as we were about to leave, if you will notice the sleep in our eyes. The boys include Andy (also a student at U of E) Josh, and Peter (working for the Scotsman newspaper). The girls are Sam (the other half of Peter, working in admissions at a university), Emma (Australian, working in social services), and De. Of course, Ms. Brenda is the little lady in the front.

Christmas Carols

Being in the 3rd week of Advent and going to some carols services, we have been able to hear some of the carols that are commonly sung hear that we did not grow up with. Many of the songs are familiar, with only some slight changes in the words. A couple of the songs, we found, are commonly sung with different tunes. O Little Town of Bethlehem is one that I have come to enjoy. Here is a link to the tune we have been singing here in Scotland: http://www.christmas-carol-music.org/Lead_Sheets/OLittleTown_Forest.html The tune is called 'Forest Green.' You can listen to the music by clicking on the little play button below the picture of the people playing strings. I hope you enjoy it, too.

A Chicagoan's Dream Turned Nightmare

The dream: Costco and Ikea...same parking lot!
The nightmare: no car!!!

I felt adventurous today (I was also craving good clementines). I packed my backpack with a shoulder bag as well as a wheeled carrier and filled up my waterbottle. Yes, I bussed it to Costkea Way...solo. My first stop was Costco, in hopes that they would do my 2x3 reprints that no one else seems to do. Costco, you let me down. Where can a person go to get something other than a 4x6 done?

So I ran to Ikea to pick up a couple of things in hopes of solving some storage problems, then back over to Costco, the problem maker. Costco is such a dangerous place to be in with no car and little money. I had my mind made up on the clementines, so I picked up 2 boxes. The tomatoes are so much cheaper, and good cheese for a good price. I said no to many things, but ended up loading my backpack with the clementines, and filling my wheeled carrier and shoulder bag with other things. Riding home at 1:30 I thought the bus would be empty, but I get on to find it is filled with school kids. Ah, well. I guess I will rest after lug my baggage up the mound to our little flat. And have fun finding space for it all!

Yes, we do have friends now who have a car, and they have already graciously taken us to Costco (they were like kids wowing over the huge pies and the 5 kilo block of cheese!), but I did want those clementines (they have become synonamous to the holiday season for me) and we do not want to take advantage of their kindness.

Well, we hope you are enjoying the snow and cold. We have had pretty mild weather today. Nearly 50 degrees, and it looks like mid-50's tomorrow. It certainly doesn't feel like Christmas weather, but it is not bad considering how much I have to be outdoors.

What are you doing to celebrate this Advent season?

Expats Get-together

I had the opportunity to meet some of the American expats on my forum today. We met at Starbucks (where I was able to utilize my discount!) and spent a couple of hours chatting; getting to know eachother and venting about some of our frustrations with customer service and other things we have had to get accustomed to here. Erin is in the picture with me. She is the one I met on the forum before we came who has helped me so much pre- and post-arrival!

Where's the Sun?

What a gloomy day! And they are forcasting rain for every day in the near future (though the forcast is a joke here...'becoming wet in some areas with a little sun and a little cooler a bit on'). I was comparing the sunrise/sunset times for Edinburgh and Chicago. The sun rises here at 8:21am and sets at 3:43pm, giving us about 2 hours less of sunlight. Mind you, when the sun has risen here, it is still not very bright. It rises in the south-east and sets in the south-west. I realized a few weeks ago that if I am heading south at 'high' noon, the sun glares in my face making it difficult to manuver the already crazy traffic on the footpath. You do have us beat for cold, though. It is in the upper 40's here. Despite the gloom, Lady Grey (a delicious tea made by Twinings) continues to be a comfort to me (on days I am not working, when I cannot get my double tall, semi-skimmed, wet latte :) ).

ON THE ROAD

Here are a few more of the differences we have found.

1) Driving on the left side of the road. You probably already know all about this, but have you thought of what this means to you as a pedestrian? One must look the correct way before crossing the road. I quickly became accustomed to looking right, then left, as I spent a lot of time walking around. It took longer for Josh since he locks himself up in the library every day. :)
2) Dual/single carriageway. These are the names for the 4/2 lane highways.
3) Boot and bonnet. Trunk and hood. Our friends got a kick out of saying 'trunk' when we were putting our Costco purchases in their 'boot.' You will also see advertisements for 'boot sale,' which I guess would be like a flea market.
4) Parking on either side of the road. So you are driving south-bound, carefully looking for a parking space. You are thrilled to finally spot one, but then you notice the north-bound SUV waiting for the spot. Not willing to duke it out in your 1.5 ltr car, you move on to allow Mr. SUV to become the rightful owner of the coveted parking space. He does not even have to do a U-turn because it is ok to park in either direction. (everyone drives tiny cars and SUVs are only driven by the very wealthy because of taxes and gas prices). We discovered this road etiquette when we were about to park in a spot in Ireland, only to hear a car horn blaring at us. We found that it must have come from the car sitting on the other side of the road, but they couldn't be waiting for THIS spot, could they? Sure enough, we drove off and the other car pulled into the spot.
5) Double-decker busses. We have not had the chance to right up top yet.
6) No free transfers for public transportation. The cost is .80p or £1 depending on how far you are going, but don't hope for a transfer within 2 hours.
7) Emissions tests. Cars older than 3 years have to pay £80 (about $150) every year for an emissions test. No chance of getting one of those tickets good for 2 years because you passed so well.
8) Roundabouts. Hmmm...How to descibe these. They use these at intersections rather than stop signs or traffic lights, however, traffic lights are still used on city streets and at some large roundabouts. There is a large circle in the middle of the intersection with 3, 4, 5, however many exits. Cars drive clockwise on the roundabouts. As you approach, if there is no one coming on your right, you can countinue around and exit as you need. If the intersection is busy, you will need to wait until there is room for you. There are usually 2 lanes in the roundabout. The cars in the right lane will be continuing on the roundabout to another exit. The cars in the left lane will be exiting at the next road, so if the cars coming toward you are in the left lane, you can enter the roundabout because they will be exiting just before they approach you. I didn't expect that you would grasp all of that, but I wanted to show you how confusing it is to drive for the first time here! And try doing this while driving on the left side of the road, sitting in the right side of the car, shifting your gears with your left hand! It's a wonder there are not more accidents caused by tourists. :) If you are really determined to figure out how to handle a roundabout, here is a link giving a better description than mine: http://www.2pass.co.uk/roundabout.htm Here is another great link. This is for a "magic" roundabout. This one has mini-roundabouts within the large roundabout. I can't quite figure it out, but I figure it would be 'magic' to make it through! http://www.swindonweb.com/life/lifemagi0.htm
9) Exit on the left side of the road. The exit is just a ramp, sometimes with a roundabout at the end. Australia, having much British influence, drives the same way. When they decided on having their first 4 leaf clover, they hired an American to design it. The designer did not take into account that they normally exit to the left, making it a bit confusing for the moterists needing to exit to the right. It still worked out, though.

Things Done Differently in the UK

I promised I would post about some of the differences we have encountered here. I enlisted the help of some of my American Expat friends to point out some of the differences (some things don't come to mind, some things just seem 'normal' now). They were very helpful and came up with so many things I could not post them all at once. I will give you a little taste now, and post more later.

RHYMING SLANG

The funniest thing I have heard is the rhyming slang. I cannot wrap my mind around it. The only sense it makes is that it rhymes. Some things don't even rhyme, unless you know where the term originally came from. Here are some examples:

'plates of meat' = feet
'dog and bone' = phone
'jam jar' = car
'septics' = Americans (from septic tank/yank
'syrup' = wig (from syrup of figs)
'Sweeney' = flying squad (specialist police unit) (from Sweeney Todd)

HOLIDAY

First of all, one does not go on 'vacation.' Once would go on 'holiday.' When I serve Americans at Starbuck I ask "Are you on holiday?" Holidays are quite extensive here. You can expect 4 weeks of paid holiday in your first year on the job. School kids have 6 weeks of holiday in the summer, but they also have 2 weeks at Christmas and 2 weeks at Easter, as well at 1 week in the middle of each term.
As unbelievable as it may sound, they do not celebrate Thanksgiving here. They do, however, celebrate Boxing Day (day after Christmas) and bonfire night or Guy Fawkes night, where they put off fireworks that rival our Fourth of July! New Year's Eve is called Hogmanay and it is celebrated BIG. Here is a link about Hogmanay http://www.rampantscotland.com/know/blknow12.htm and here is the Edinburgh Hogmanay link http://www.edinburghshogmanay.org/ One more thing: it is ok to say 'Happy Christmas' here.

IN THE HOUSE

Most homes are made of brick or stone.
There is not electricity in the toilets (bathroom). It is considered unsafe and illegal. I have to blow dry my hair in the living room.
It is common to turn the heat off at night. Not good for me when the heat comes on 15 minutes after I wake up on my work days!
'Mixer taps' are not common. Sinks usually have separate faucets for hot and cold.
No screens on windows.
The washing machine and drier is located in the kitchen.
It is common to dry your clothes either outside or on a clothes horse indoors.
No closets!
Sockets have to be switched off and on. It took me a few times of wondering why the kettle was not heating up to remember this!

I am really enjoying my day in today. I will have to go out later to meet with a friend (at Starbucks!). It is gloomy and threatening rain, but I am sipping cider (thanks to mom), listening to the 'smooooth classical' station (nothing like WFMT though) and enjoying the strong scent of cinnamon (thanks to Sarah and Chris who sent us scented pine cones and other goodies!).

Snow capped mountains

How much beauty will we wake up to? This morning was fairly clear, so we were able to see across the Firth. We were awed by the beauty of the snow that remained on the mountains. I know it will be hard to see it in the picture, but I hoped to give you a glimpse

Snow! Christkindlmarkt, and (day after) Thanksgiving menu

We were suprised today to look out our window and snow! And not just little flurries. It looked like a white out! It changed from little tiny flakes, to big fluffy flakes, to light flurries, to heavy snow storm. In the end though, it did not accumulate and, later mixed with sleet it made for very slushy, slippery roads.

Josh gave himself a holiday today as we would have had in the States and we went to go check out the christkindlmarkt (the German market). They started all of the holiday festivities in Edinburgh last night with the market, winterwonderland, ice skating, and turning on the Christmas lights. Josh was hoping for some brats at the German market, but there were none to be found and he settled for a pork steak sandwich. I spotted a big jar of pickles and became hopeful. Could they be dill? I asked what kind of pickles they were. In a German accent the lady told me, "I just learned yesterday that you call them 'gherkins' here." She assured me that they were sweet and sour and not dill. "Oh"

Yesterday we were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with a bunch of Americans from the University. There were about 25 adults and 15 kids at this potluck gathering where we were in someway connected to someone there. While I had the pleasure of making mashed potatoes for 40 people, I still wanted to cook a dinner for us. We celebrated our own Thanksgiving tonight. While I had most of it planned, some of it I made up along the way from whatever I had in the fridge and cupboard. Here is what we had (for anyone interested):

Brown sugar ham (I cooked this yesterday)
Scalloped potatoes with chipotle pepper (and LOTS of cheese for my husband)
Green beans and cherry tomatoes with red wine vineger and basil
Sautees mushrooms and courgettes (zuchini) with Italian seasoning (thanks to mom)
Cheddar and jalapeno scones (Josh's personal favorite)
Pumpkin pie (haven't actually eaten this yet)

I roasted my own pumpkin for the first time. We will see how the pie turns out. I know it will be stringy as I do not have anything to puree the pulp. It was an adventure, though. I saved the seeds and made Mexican spiced pumpkin seeds. Very good, if anyone is interested. I am hoping to make pumpkin bread tomorrow and take some to our friends who have never had pumpkin flavored foods.

Food, Glorious Food

I wanted to post about some of the thinks here that we Americans may find a little alien to us. In this post I will just mention a few of the differnt foods I have come across.

fried Mars bars: The battered and deep-fried candy bar is very popular at the chippies.
battered and fried sausage
battered and fried burgers (do I see a pattern here?)
eggs, lots of eggs
hard boiled eggs wrapped in ground sausage meat
meat wrapped with bacon (do they have high cholesteral or what? Good thing there's universal health care!)
long-life milk: Maybe it is available in America, I just never came across it. Refrigerate after opening.
crisp flavors (potato chips): peppered steak, prawn, sweet red pepper, chicken
tea with milk (I like this!)
jello is called jelly
blackcurrent (jam, starburst, etc)
marmite (yeast extract spread)
a traditional breakfast would include about 4 kinds of meat, sauteed mushrooms and stewed tomatoes, and possibly baked beans and toast
when someone asks for a tea at Starbucks, even though there are about 10 different flavors, they most likely mean English Breakfast
Oh, yes. Can't forget HAGGIS and black pudding

Loch Lomond

We had the opportunity to do some hiking yesterday. We took advantage of an international students' trip to Loch Lomond in the Trossachs. It was a very cold day. If we couldn't feel it on our noses, it was proved by the patches of ice we had to step gingerly on as we were climbing.
While most of the students chose to browse the tiny town are walk around the loch, we wanted to get higher for a great view. We decided to take part of the West Highlandway
Unfortunately, it was very foggy during our entire climb, and the pictures show even less of what we were able to see. There were beautiful mountains on the horizon surrounding the loch. Despite the fog and cold, it was very beautiful and a great experience. Something we would definately enjoy doing again.

There are more pictures on the flickr site.

Moon setting over the Firth

We woke this morning to see a bright full moon setting over the Firth of Forth. We usually cannot see the Firth and the mountains this clearly.

A Couple of Pics

Last week Josh and I walked around the city a little. I took these pictures as we were walking through the Meadows. The first one shows the undulation I talked about in an earlier post. This is from the 10,000 plague victims buried here. The second picture is a view of Arthur's Seat.