End Of The Day

A.Le Coq!

Nothing like an icecold beer at the end of the day. This one’s thanks to some Estonian brewers. Cheers!

Coen Bros.

 

Gotta love them Coen Brothers.

Finally got around to watching No Country For Old Men the other night, caught Oh Brother Where Art Thou again tonight and have Burn After Reading out on 17th October to look forward to.

Seeing as how I’m in a redneck mood…

 

Wilson Tan

 

Was pleased to run into the Wilson Tan guys while J & I were knocking back some Elijah Craigs at a nice bar dedicated to my favourite poet on Friday night. It had been a while and happily led to a bit of gig booking today. More on that soon.

Wilson Tan are Glasgow’s pioneers of country-dub! Their sound sits somewhere between the Handsome Family on Prozac, Jim White‘s experimental Southern Country and that of dub-rooted slacker music. Wilson Tan make music for Saturday night and Sunday morning. 

The way out west of Glasgow is where you’ll find Wilson Tan, pioneers of Psychedelic Country! And they’re cooking up a strange brew in there home studio, writing, recording and producing music linked somewhere between Hank Williams and the Youngbloods. Their love of twisting sound around bittersweet songs of lonely truckers, heartbreak and shaking hands with death have put them in field of their own. The ‘Tan’ have a knack of slipping into simple yet infectious instrumentals which feature the now 6 strong band in a blissed out bluegrass lockdown…Described by more than one of their followers as the Grateful Dead gone wrong. Take the sound of Bakersfield ’69 put it into an illegal still in the Ozark Mountains, let it ferment till now then put it in a dingy bar in Glasgow, and you have Wilson Tan. 

You can download their single Big Dog via iTunes, the first release on promising new Glasgow independent El Rancho Records. Meantime listen up on their MySpace

 

http://www.myspace.com/wilsontan

MacSorley’s

Nice to see some Lewis favourites in amongst all the other Scottish dishes at MacSorley’s Music Bar! Although not strictly like Granny used to make, I’d imagine it’s quite satisfying bringing herring, crowdie, lamb, saith, Stornoway black pudding and Uist salmon to the masses, and at such reasonable prices

If you’re in Glasgow and any of this take your fancy, you can find them at 42 Jamaica Street.

 

Small Hours

Belated happy 60th John…

 

UPDATE: John Martyn is on tour in November. Glasgow folk can catch him on the 17th at the Royal Concert Hall. Tickets bought, cheers J!

SCF Members Views On Shucksmith

Crofter and sheep on Isle of Lewis. Via AndyShader   

 

Following an extensive series of meetings, The Scottish Crofting Foundation has sent a summary of its members’ views on the Shucksmith Report to the Minister for crofting Michael Russell MSP.   

SCF Chair Neil MacLeod said:

“it is projected that the Minister will make his response to the Shucksmith Final Report at the beginning of October so we have consulted with our membership widely in order to get views to the minister to help him to give an informed response. The most important thing is that there has to be fair pay for work done. It is said again and again that no matter what regulations are in place a crofter can not croft unless there is a fair return. A crofter’s first responsibility is to provide a livelihood for the family. We all want to see new entrants into crofting but they, like existing crofters, need to pay their bills.”

Mr MacLeod continued:

“The report is a very comprehensive and valuable reference document and there are many good recommendations that will be able to form the basis of crofting reform. But there are some recommendations in the report that will not be acceptable, such as a ‘real burden’ on croft houses and the abolition of the crofters commission. We have told the minister that these can not work and he is listening. We have also passed on the members’ opposition to the proposed ‘localisation’ of regulation and development. It is a very complicated way of addressing the real problems and we feel that the existing structure of Area Assessors, that the SCF were instrumental in saving from disbanding, can do a great job if supported appropriately, feeding into an elected, accountable crofting commission.”

“There have been rumours deliberately spread that it is a case of ‘accept all or nothing’ and ‘there will be no consultation prior to legislation’. These are of course absolutely untrue. There are hard negotiations ahead to achieve a future for crofting and I strongly urge crofters to stand together on this.”

Another positive step has been taken on the road to revitalise crofting, the SCF listening again to members concerns and opinions and providing our MSPs with realistic, workable advice on which to build new legislation.

.

New Jeans

 

My Granny will be pleased to hear I’ve invested in a new pair of jeans!

The old pair served me well for 3+ years of heavy duty wear. The knees have holes, the pockets have holes, they’re just falling off me…

The old pair were replicas of the 1955 501 jeans. They have a quintessential 50′s shape – more anti fit in the seat area and a slightly fuller and straighter leg shape giving them a boxier silhouette. Around this time, teenagers began to use the term ‘jeans’ instead of ‘overalls’. This was the first 501 jeans to bear a leather-like Two Horse patch. The familiar levi’s capital ‘E’ Red Tab, zinc button fly and copper rivets remain standard issue. Xx 50 Cone fabric / 14oz red selvage denim / 3X1 RHT construction / First 501 jeans to bear the ‘leather-like’ two horse patch / Belt loops / Double sided big ‘E’ red tab / Zinc button fly / Hidden rivets on back pockets.

The new ones are replica’s of the Levi1933 501 jean featuring a cinch-back, in addition to belt loops and a button fly. The overalls also had a real leather Two Horse patch and hand applied rivets. XX20 Cone Fabric / 12.50oz after wash red selvage denim / Ring ring, pure indigo, 3×1 RHT construction / Loose fit with plenty of anti-fit in the seat area / Original red selvage jean / Crotch rivet, cinch and belt loops / Two Horse leather patch / Simple Arcuate (without center triangle).

Looking forward to wearing them to death

Food

The Very Good Taste Blog have a recent “100″ listing.

What you do is:

1)  Copy the list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2)  Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3)  Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.

 

1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

 

Nothing I wouldn’t eat.

 

So there ya go!

Blas

 

Looks like Islandboy will be decorating the walls of mighty fine Glasgow restaurant Blas.

Good job sir!

With a name meaning ‘taste’ or ‘relish’ in Gaelic, Blas proudly offers tastes of the Highlands and Islands in produce such as Stornoway black pudding, Ullapool smoked salmon and Dingwall haggis. Fittingly, it’s situated close to many of the city’s watering holes favoured by those from the far north and north-west, and occupies a prime position opposite Kelvingrove Art Gallery. The theme is extended with subtlety inside, with the occasional heather or thistle detail amid the dark walls and solid tables. The mood is relaxed and the service smooth and genuinely warm. Those taken by any of the menu’s carefully sourced ingredients can now pick some up at the new Blas store on Hyndland Street.

While I’m here I might as well give props to the wonderful Cafe Gandolfi (AND Bar Gandolfi AND Gandolfi Fish) owned by Barra boy Seamus MacInnes. I’ve been eating in his establishments for over 10 years and they rarely disappoint.

Here’s a review of Gandolfi Fish by some chap called Barry Shelby

 

Over on Lewis there are also a fair few good places to eat. Here are some links to some but do you know any more?

 

The Park, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis

Sulair, Port Of Ness, Isle Of Lewis

Ardhasaig, Ardhasaig, Harris

Bonaventure Aird Uig, Isle Of Lewis

Digby Chick,  Stornoway, Isle of Lewis

 

PS: I’d also like to recommend the Church Street Chip Shop, home to the legendary Cheeky Chips and the award winning Sweeny Codd in Ness!

 

UPDATE: Apparently Bonaventure is now Gallan Head, under new owners and the Bonaventure’s folk are at the Boatshed Restaurant in Royal Hotel, Stornoway.

Abhainn Dearg

Abhainn a’Ghlinne Dhuibh, Newmarket, Isle of Lewis. Via Islandboy

 

Production has started at a distillery near Uig on the Atlantic coast of Lewis, 164 years since the last legal distillery in the Western Isles closed.

Island businessman Mark Tayburn has set up Abhainn Dearg distillery (Red River in Gaelic) on the site of a former salmon hatchery. Casking has begun and the first bottles of single malt will be ready by 2011, when the Royal National Mod returns to the islands.

The business is run on environmentally friendly lines, with a small hydroelectric scheme planned.

Mr Tayburn, who also runs a recycling business in Lewis, said 10,000 litres would be produced this year, and up to 25,000 litres by 2009-10.

He has based his distillery on an illicit still working on the islands until the 1950s, using copper stills and American oak bourbon barrels.

Meanwhile, a second distillery may open in the islands shortly. Uisge Beatha nan Eilean Ltd (the Island Whisky Company) plans to produce 25,000 litres a year in Barra, where the film Whisky Galore was made.

With the dark nights drawing in, it’s almost time to buy the first bottle of the season! Last year it was Ardbeg’s Ten Year Old, this year who knows….

PS Hopefully the Abhainn Dearg folks will be doing cask purchases when they get going. If so I’ll be game for going in for one (and reaping the rewards ten years hence) with a few other like minded folk if anyone else cared to chip in?

Slàinte!