Mike Myers has a lot to answer for. As a Scot adopted by America, I am reminded of this every time the conversation turns to food.
“Scottish food? Isn’t that haggis? Gross!” is a typical exclamation from those Yanks who engage in said conversations with me. I’ve come to discover that their perception of Scottish culinary offerings is based on the Myers movieSo I Married an Axe Murderer.
The film’s two Scottish characters, both played by Myers, are stereotypical Scots. Tight with money, blunt with opinions, one of them claims that all Scottish food is based on a dare and that haggis is disgusting. And that’s all most Americans know. Scottish food in America has the same status as the Labour Party in Scotland. You know it’s there, but you don’t like the thought of it and hope never to have to partake of it in person.
This year is Scotland’s Year of Food and Drink, involving a partnership between the Scottish government, VisitScotland and EventScotland among others. In my opinion, it’s high time to address the unfair perception of our food across the Atlantic.
Keep reading my latest article in the UK Telegraph over at the paper’s website.