 CONTENTS From Your Ed |
Java St Andrew Society Magazine July 1998 |
CHIEFTAINS MESSAGE As the economic situation in Indonesia continues to get worse, I thought I would start this message with some good news. I thought: Scotland almost drew with Brazil, not good enough. I thought: A Scot was equal fourth in the British Open not good enough. I thought: England didn’t make it to the quarter-finals of the World Cup, good enough! So that’s the good news over with, the bad news is that a Scots Lady won the annual whisky tasting competition. At least she was Scots, you might say ! Well the problem, as I see it, is in the decline in moral and health standards in Scottish womanhood and in fact womankind. The fact that this lady, who shall be nameless, was able to tell the differences between 6 rare Scottish malt whiskies without tasting them (hardly at all) would indicate to me that she is in fact a habitual whisky drinker (morality issue). To be able to sniff out the exact make of the whisky with such accuracy would further indicate that she had and was in the habit of drinking large quantities of the golden nectar on a frequent basis (health issue). This issue is of such paramount concern to the guardians of our welfare, health and morality (the past chieftains of course) that they have asked me to convey the following advice to men of the society.
On a slightly more serious note, the committee of the Java St Andrews Society has decided to launch an appeal to help the growing numbers of hungry kids in the country. If you feel you can help please contact Yvanka Jeffery or Reid Dupuis. If you haven’t claimed your refund from any Scotland in Concert tickets you may have paid for you could donate this to our appeal by filling out the enclosed form and fax it to Bob Garden. I am sure there is some good news coming soon. Aye Yours & Aye Ready Chuck Jeffery |
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| FROM YOUR ED Well, well who would have thought when I was typing my first editorial that I would be fleeing the country a couple of weeks later? I was so excited about getting my first production finished, there they were all waiting to go and instead I had to leave them all sitting on my dining table, wondering if I would ever see my dining table again let alone the magazines. Luckily they were quite safe and thanks to Chuck Jeffery they were mailed to everyone even though it was several weeks later than scheduled. I welcome back all the refugees who like us probably had very little time to think about what to pack, it was quite upsetting really to think that what you had in your suitcase might be all that was left of your life here, but then again at least we got out with that much. For those people who will not be coming back we wish them "good luck and orra best". Mark and I spent around 11 days in Singapore, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank our friends June and Alasdair Buchanan and Deb and Barry Irwin for their warm and generous hospitality, mind you I don’t think I could have stood any more good food and fine wine, there seemed to be an endless supply. We both decided it was time to give the old livers a rest so Mark headed back here and I decided maybe it was time for a wee trip home, I could hear the call of summer shopping, and let me tell you I was in the mood. Mark was a bit worried especially when he heard me talk to card services about getting my credit limit on my Mastercard temporarily increased, my my how I teased him, but on the whole I didn’t bankrupt him too badly. I thoroughly enjoyed my three weeks of cool weather; it was nice to be able to wear a blazer without melting. For those of you who don’t know me I like really really cold weather, somewhere around 16oC is good for me. I’ve yet to figure out how Mark managed to persuade me to live in the tropics. As you all know this year’s Scotland In Concert and Highland Gathering had to be cancelled. I myself was looking forward to defending my silver medal and maybe upgrading to gold in the tug-o-war, and selling the souvenirs which were also left in my house when we fled. We did manage to sell a few of the souvenirs at the last pub and dance night and also at the BIS Fair. If you find an interesting story, or article on the Internet perhaps you will print it off for me and fax it to my home; it would be very much appreciated. Having just read the Chieftains message all I can say is maybe we should start an annual competition for crochet, embroidery and country dancing, then it would be 4 out of 4. Better luck next year boy’s, I can’t wait. Have a safe summer break and if your off on vacation, have a good one. Reid Dupuis |
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| "SCOTTISH SNIPPETS" Up In Smoke A new guide book for Scotland has been published – aimed at smokers who are feeling persecuted and want to find places where they can puff without getting dirty looks. The Smokers Guide to Scotland claims that 30% of Scottish adults (and an even higher proportion of Europeans) smoke and tells them where and when they may smoke and the etiquette to follow. Thousands Take Off for "The Fair" The "Glasgow Fair" has its origins in the 12th century. In the 20th century, although there is no longer a fair to attend, it became the period when the city closed down and people went off on holiday (often "Doon the Watter" to the resorts further down the River Clyde). Summer holidays are now taken across all the summer months but even so 106,000 people are booked to fly out from Glasgow airport over this weekend, to Spain, Florida, Greece and Turkey. New Coach for Celtic After months of speculation Celtic Football Club have appointed a new coach, five days before their first match of the season. He is Slovakian Dr Josef Venglos, formerly coach of the national teams of Czechoslovakia, Australia, Malaysia, Oman and Slovakia. Although he speaks four languages, his English is said to be poor. Current Anniversaries of Historic Events July 19 John Smith became Labour leader 1992 July 20 Battle of Halidon Hill, defeat of Scots by Edward III, 1333 July 20 Lord Reith, governor of BBC born 1889 July 21 Robert Burns died 1796 July 21 Maurice Lindsay born 1918 July 21 Sandy Lyle won Open Golf Championship 1985 July 22 English defeated Scots at Battle of Falkirk 1298 July 26 Battle of Harlaw Hill 1411 July 24 Mary Queen of Scots abdicated, James VI becomes king 1567 July 24 David Wilkie won Olympic 200 metres breaststroke 1976 July 25 Annie Ross, singer, born 1930 July 25 Alan Wells won Olympic 100 metres 1980 Scottish Placenames Round the World Leith, on the shores of the Firth of Forth, is the port for Edinburgh. The name can also be found in: Canada (Ontario), USA (Alabama, Arkansas, Nevada, North Dakota, Pennsylvania and South Georgia). There is also a Leith Valley in New Zealand. Scottish Humour It is said that all Scots have a sense of humour – because it is a free gift! But we do like to laugh at ourselves and here is one example: The announcement that the Spanish architect Enric Miralles is to build the new Scottish parliament building has generated a lot of comment in the Scottish Culture newsgroups, including input from Christopher Bruce and Chris Cooke whose conversation ran along these lines: "Scotland on Sunday reported this week that Miralles thinks it would be neat to have the seats in the debating chamber on movable hydraulic platforms, so that the chamber could be reconfigured into different shapes for different occasions – e.g. one day a horseshoe, next day a Westminster-style shoebox shape, and with the ability to highlight part affiliation by making distinct gaps between the seats of the different groups". "That sounds good if it also has the ability to drop the lot of them in the sea!" "Interesting concept – parliament loses a vote of confidence and swoosh, the members all get automatically washed out to sea." "Maybe such an event could be dubbed a "Gardeloo vote" as the Parliament is based in Edinburgh. Sound historical precedent. |
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| "PARLIAMO GLESCA?"
(Literally, "Shall we speak Glaswegian?") Here is a recipe which appeared a wee while ago in a Scottish newspaper. Not everyone wants to read a recipe for haggis. So here’s one for clootie dumplin’ using "a punna self raisin’ floor, punna currants an’ hauf o’ raisins," sugar, spice and milk. "Rummie up the hale jing-bang…cowp it oot oan tae a cloot…dinnae tie the string too tight or the dumplin’ micht burst efter swellin, and ye’ll be in a helluva mess…simmer fur mair than three and a hauf hoors. Efter that, wheech it oot oan tae a plate, peel aff the cloot and therr ye huv a dish fit tee set afore a dizzen Egon Thingmys." Not Delia Smith, more the woman who described her minimalist technique with a cooker as: "If it’s broon it’s cooked and if it’s black it’s buggert." For those of you not to familiar with Scots: "punna" is "pound of" "hauf" is "half" "rummie" is "mix" "hale jing-bang" is "whole lot" "cowp" is "turn out" "wheech" is "move quickly" "Egon Thingmys" is "Egon Ronay" |
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| WHY
ENGLAND DIDN'T WIN THE WORLD CUP: Apparently, a theory was going round that England would win the World Cup, based upon the following palendromic "proof": 1966 England 1970 .......Brazil 1974 .............Germany 1978 .....................Argentina 1982 .............................Italy 1986 .....................Argentina 1990 .............Germany 1994 ......Brazil 1998 England ??? ....Well, the originators of that theory have come up with a similar theory which shows why England didn't win: (To find out look under the crossword answers) |
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| "A wee part of Asia, that will be
forever Scotland" The recent troubles left us all with stories to tell. My wife Ami and I’s crisis weekend was much like many other people. We held tight for the bad times, then evacuated out when things began to quieten down. Our chosen destination was Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. For those of you who know K.L., two weeks can be a long time with no car, limited mobility (due to a 7 month-pregnant wife) and a hot, wet climate. Bored and frustrated, I was looking through a tourist map for a sight we hadn’t seen at least twice, when lo and behold a tiny wee "iklan" for "The Braveheart Tavern". For those of you who know me, I am a small, quiet laddie who drinks infrequently and always in moderation, but I had to take a look. Well, shock, horror and gasps of delight! I opened the door and stepped into my boozer at home. The smell was pure Scotland (beer, whisky, cigarettes and a faint waft of wee wee). The furniture ala "Sarry Heed", (shoogly, auld and a bit tatty), the décor definitely more "The Diggers" than the Café Royale (Scottish paraphernalia, football pictures with a Partick Thistle slant, old Scottish mags and football programmes to read) and for the thirsty punter more beers and whisky than we’ll see in a year in Indonesia. There are three Scottish brews available in bottles, all provided by Edinburgh’s independent brewery "Caledonian". Edinburgh Strong Ale"… three bottles and you remember all the words to Ally’s Army, "Caledonian 80/-", a finer beer you will not find anywhere and "Golden Promise", organic ale which is tasty but potent! Other beers include cans of Boddingtons, Tetley’s and Whitbread for the southerners, Guinness on draught, at a very reasonable RM12 a pint (about one pound eighty) and for those who like a sore head in the morning, Anker and Tiger. There are over 20 malt and blended whiskies, even one made by some English distiller, "Manchester United". The pub is Scottish owned and a fine way to meet many of KL’s Scottish residents. It doesn’t sell meals, but there are plenty of snacks to ward off the serious hunger pangs. Next time you are in K.L. pop in and get a wee taste ay hame. Contributed by Mark Strachan |
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| WHISKY AND THE "MAN" July 10th, 8 PM, Jalan Kemang Selatan V, an important day in the history for proud Scotsmen in JSAS had begun….. The lights were low, the mood electric and the nerves tense; the boys were ready for a skilful display of their ultimate manhood and whisky knowledge. They walked round and round the table, they sniffed, they tasted, nodded their heads, sniffed again and checked the sheets they were holding in their hands; the JSAS annual whisky tasting had begun!! Listening to all these grown men talk, or rather brag and brawl, about the Scottish malts, their origins and the various times they had sampled the great malts, were a few ladies, who thought, "what the heck, why not" and decided to join the sacred ritual around the table. This, of course, did bring some sniggers from the so called experts but all smiled politely and got on with the business at hand. Peter Nimmo had selected a few fine Scottish whisky’s; a bottle of Glenlivet, Oban, Bowmore, Bruich Laddich and Cardhu were presented in disguise, as well as a bottle of Irish Bushmills, just to confuse the matter for the ignorant. Sheets were handed out, describing the origin, colour, taste and smell of each whisky. For the non-whisky drinkers there was a written quiz, which still did not make a lot of sense if you were not a whisky drinker, but was easy if you attended the whisky tasting 1997!! There were a number of different techniques used during the tasting. Some would sample the whisky, write little notes over their sheets, then sample again and scratch it all out (guess not that confident after all). Others would hold it against the light, sniff it and hold it up again before taking little sips. Most notable I found the brave ladies, who only looked at the stuff and didn’t touch the whisky altogether (bad memories?). Anyway, the night progressed, the laughter got louder and the tasters – well they just kept on tasting and tasting. Eventually all sheets were handed in and Peter, assisted by Sandy, faced the task of checking all the answers. Meanwhile everyone had some food and got down to the task of enjoying themselves, being relieved from the pressure of the competition but nevertheless, casually checking other people’s answers. Big drum rolls, the moment was there; there were three finalists who each had picked 4 of the 6 whisky’s correctly. The announcement of these finalists brought out the most beautiful expressions I’ve seen in the JSAS, as amongst the winners were two of the ladies that were politely smiled at earlier in the evening; Reid Dupuis and Alison Milne, (whocomes from the land Down Under). George Stevenson, the third finalist faced the difficult task of keeping up the men’s honour (at least he is Scottish!). In a second round of tasting, three new malts were presented and all went through their own little ceremonies. Sheets were handed in again and yes, there was a winner and that was nobody else but our newsletter editor Reid Dupuis! While Reid desperately tried to calm down from the excitement and regain a less bright colour on her cheeks, Alison and George were in for a third tasting as the runner up and third place were yet to be fought for. I must admit, it was a good fight as a fourth tasting had to take place to announce the runner up, another lady, Alison Milne, with George Stevenson taking the inevitable third place. George saved his honour by taking the second place in the whisky quiz, which was won by John Bewley, who, by the way, hails from south of the border……… You can understand that, with the number one and runner up amongst them, this was a fantastic evening for the ladies, who all happily filled a few more glasses of wine for themselves (service from hubbies and the like had suddenly stopped), while the men drank away their misery in, yes – more whisky! The party peaked at the prize giving, where the Chieftain (I won’t tell you how many whisky’s he had picked correctly) gave out the prizes for all winners, as well as a beautiful engraved quaich, for the one and only whisky tasting champion 1998; Reid Dupuis. I can understand it was a tough defeat for you boys, noting your comments such as "when is the men’s tasting taking place?". The fact that you clustered together in selected groups of men only, refused to pour another drink for a lady and make comments you could be sued for in a more liberated society, only made us laugh harder and could not whip the smile of our faces until this date (smile girls!). It only proved once more - , well, you know what I want to say, so I will not rub it in any further! Altogether, it was, and I am sure you all agree, a very pleasant evening with good friends, good whisky (and wine, thanks) and lots of fun. Thanks to Alex Smilie, who was hosting this evening and Peter Nimmo for organising this annual event. Cheers, Yvanka Jeffery - A wine drinker For the record; WHISKY TASTING 1998 1st : Reid Dupuis WHISKY QUIZ 1998 1st : John Bewley |
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