Toscaig, Applecross peninsula, NW Scotland

limey · 10-10-2015, 03:25 PM

People think that because I live on a Scottish island I am "remote" from "civilisation". In reality there are many, many places on the Scottish mainland which are far more remote than we are. And that's where Mr Limey and I like to holiday

Sent by thought transference

xoxoxoBruce · 10-10-2015, 04:01 PM

Yes, remote is a huge variable and relative to the availability of transportation. That road you drove to get in there makes it remote, but the same distance on M-1 would be a snap. Your home isn't so much remote as time consuming to reach, mainly because of having to cross water.

The clearances moved all the natives out of huge swaths of land to replace them with huge flocks of sheep. But what was done other than moving people and their possessions? Were there forests to cut, or other land altering changes? Now mid 19th century saw large sheep flocks, but the native highlanders had been living there for centuries, and they had to eat. The barren terrain looks like subsistence hunting would be difficult, with minimal success. Bringing home a stag now and then can't be compared with having a butcher shop down the road. So I imagined they farmed some food, and raised highland cattle, horses, chickens, and for those long winter nights, sheep.
Is this picture, strictly from my imagination, wrong? Again.

Undertoad · 10-11-2015, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Bringing home a stag now and then can't be compared with having a butcher shop down the road. So I imagined they farmed some food, and raised highland cattle, horses, chickens, and for those long winter nights, sheep.

And after a few hundred years of this, having to figure out how to use every single edible piece of the animal, the renowned national dish is "a savoury pudding containing sheep's heart, liver and lungs; minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally encased in the animal's stomach."

DanaC · 10-11-2015, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undertoad

And after a few hundred years of this, having to figure out how to use every single edible piece of the animal, the renowned national dish is "a savoury pudding containing sheep's heart, liver and lungs; minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally encased in the animal's stomach."

And man, is it tasty.

xoxoxoBruce · 10-11-2015, 11:33 AM

The secret is the disconnect between the taste and thinking about the disgusting ingredients.

My mother refused to have anything to do with Haggis, so to placate Grandma when she came for Sunday dinner, Mom would make a concoction she called "scotch ham". No, there was no alcohol involved, ground up civilized(ham,shoulder,bacon) pig parts boiled in a cheesecloth sack. Of course keeping with the New England Yankee tradition, no spices. You get salt & pepper, and like it, goddamnit.

Undertoad · 10-11-2015, 10:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by limey

People think that because I live on a Scottish island I am "remote" from "civilisation". In reality there are many, many places on the Scottish mainland which are far more remote than we are. And that's where Mr Limey and I like to holiday

When I was in Bermuda, tourist destination, I asked our touring cab driver where residents go when *they* want to be tourists. "New York City!"

10-10-2015, 03:25 PM	#1
limey Encroaching on your decrees Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: An island within the south-west coast of Scotland Posts: 7,016	People think that because I live on a Scottish island I am "remote" from "civilisation". In reality there are many, many places on the Scottish mainland which are far more remote than we are. And that's where Mr Limey and I like to holiday Sent by thought transference __________________ Living it up on the edge ... of civilisation, within the southwest coast of

10-10-2015, 04:01 PM	#2
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	Yes, remote is a huge variable and relative to the availability of transportation. That road you drove to get in there makes it remote, but the same distance on M-1 would be a snap. Your home isn't so much remote as time consuming to reach, mainly because of having to cross water. The clearances moved all the natives out of huge swaths of land to replace them with huge flocks of sheep. But what was done other than moving people and their possessions? Were there forests to cut, or other land altering changes? Now mid 19th century saw large sheep flocks, but the native highlanders had been living there for centuries, and they had to eat. The barren terrain looks like subsistence hunting would be difficult, with minimal success. Bringing home a stag now and then can't be compared with having a butcher shop down the road. So I imagined they farmed some food, and raised highland cattle, horses, chickens, and for those long winter nights, sheep. Is this picture, strictly from my imagination, wrong? Again. Attached Images __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

10-11-2015, 11:33 AM	#5
xoxoxoBruce The future is unwritten Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 71,105	The secret is the disconnect between the taste and thinking about the disgusting ingredients. My mother refused to have anything to do with Haggis, so to placate Grandma when she came for Sunday dinner, Mom would make a concoction she called "scotch ham". No, there was no alcohol involved, ground up civilized(ham,shoulder,bacon) pig parts boiled in a cheesecloth sack. Of course keeping with the New England Yankee tradition, no spices. You get salt & pepper, and like it, goddamnit. __________________ The descent of man ~ Nixon, Friedman, Reagan, Trump.

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