Opinion
Last month, I had the opportunity to head to Scotland’s Aberdeenshire for the International Federation of Agricultural Journalists congress. While there, I received requests to document some of the differences in prices and availability of food products. Instead of writing a comprehensive report outlining the experience (boring!), I decided to do a vlog, which is totally and completely outside my comfort zone. That said, it was also really neat to be a tour guide for an audience on the other side of the planet.
The photos above are from pre-Aberdeen/Dyce travels, but are fairly representative of what you’d find across the United Kingdom. There are strange names, and products you’ve maybe never tried — like the beloved Irn-Bru, a blindingly orange, Scottish soda or Scotch eggs, which are hard-boiled, wrapped in sausage meat and bread-crumbs then typically deep fried. There are also a lot of similarities in the discussions consumers are beginning to have over food miles, sustainability and one of their most precious resources: time.
So, there’s an overabundance of already-made grub, and junk food, as is the case in so many countries. Fortunately, however, the produce is simply fantastic. And after coming home to a certain brand of “Canada No. 1” carrots, I want to forget food miles and order the variety we ate in Scotland.
Anyway, enough of this. You’ll hear and see more by watching the vid.
Don’t feel like watching my ugly mug? Take a listen to our audio-only version on Soundcloud.
Kudos, by the way, to Rob Saik, who is far braver than I, recording most of Saik’s Agri-Treks in front of fellow humans. It’s scarier than it appears.
