Friday, June 02, 2006

If there is one thing i love about Glasgow, it's how serious weegies take their sweets. There may not be a lot of sun and dental hygiene in this city, but there is always a plethora of sugary goods to keep you docile and distracted.

There was an interesting article in last week's Observer about the history of sugar and shitty health in Glasgow, worth reading.

The rot starts here

Scottish children have the worst teeth in Britain. Over the last 20 years, their sugar intake has doubled. One in three of its 12-year-olds is now overweight. But can the blame really be laid at the door of sugary sweets? Award-winning writer Alex Renton on a tale of poverty and decay

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I must say. Why don't you just go home to Canada?? I spent two glorious years in Glasgow and only returned home because I had to. My visa expired.

I kept up with Canadian news and emailed friends and family but I couldn't get enough of Scottish culture.

I rarely dated in Canada and in Scotland I had a stream of suitors. I thought they enjoyed my wild sense of humour and were not terrified of me, the way Canadian boys are. I think it is hilarious how wildly different our experiences are. I just think being homesick is such an absolute waste of time. There is a reason why you needed to exit Canada and explore Scotland again. Quit looking at the faults and start enjoying it for what it is.

You don’t have to melt in our disgustingly humid summer. You get to wander Kelvingrove and check out the skate park. You can take the train and be on Troon’s beach in 45 min. You can walk around the west end and admire the tenements. You can grab a coffee or a beer and sit and watch the world go by. You can nip into town and buy cheap clothes. You can head to Fopp and gaze at the five pound cd wall. You can go surfing or fishing. You can head to Lidl’s and buy crazy cheap produce. You can head to a gig at Sleazy’s or King Tut’s. You can head out to one of the free museums. If you are lucky you can go to the Kelvingrove Art gallery - that was closed whilst I was there. You can check out bargains in the Barrows. You can then walk to Merchant city and snap pics for your blog. This is only a start of what you can do…

I found making friends in Glasgow ridiculously easy. Unlike meek Canadians who take ages to trust a friendship…the Scots don’t care if they’ve known you five minutes, they will buy you a drink and ask you your life story at the bar.

Try re-reading your blog…see all the negative things you write of your adoptive city…and see why you are homesick. Remember to appreciate your time there. Just watch out for the neds.

That is my unsolicited advice.

Jennifer said...

Unsolicited indeed - considering this blog is mainly for friends and family.

Our experiences are so vastly different for the simple reason that i am not you and vice versa.

There is nothing wrong with being homesick and in fact if i wasn't, i would be worried because shit, i thought my friends, family and the city of Toronto meant more to me that i had thought.

Look, it comes down to this: i have no deadline/visa expiration date and so, it's entirely up to me what i want to do. Now, do i stay and enjoy my adventure and settle into life over here? Or do i return home to friends who need me and to a family that misses me?

oh, and....DEATH TO NEDS!