5 Scottish Myths And The Truth

Dear Diary,

I’d say there are many, many misconceptions about Scotland and Scots.

Things that are seen as typical Scottish but actually aren’t. Though there might be some truth in some of them. After all, they didn’t appear out of nowhere, right?

After living in Scotland for 4 years now, I can confidently uncover some of them.

Time to find out the truth about my top 5.

Myth Number 1 - The Weather

It’s raining all the time. And it’s windy and freezing.

Well. Definitely not raining all the time that’s for sure. What might be true is that you can have every season within a day. No, let me correct this, within an hour or even half an hour. So anything is possible. Rain, bright sunshine, wind and even snow in the shortest amount of time you can imagine.

Yes, it can be cold. Mostly due to the wind. And the further north you go the colder it gets. Surprise.

And there’re are the dreich days. Foggy, chilly and with a slight drizzle. Proper autumn weather.

But overall, I’d argue that the weather in Scotland just changes quicker than in other places. And usually, you do spot the sun at least once a day.

Myth Number 2 - The Food

I can’t recall how many times have I heard this: Scots eat terrible food. Or Brits in general don’t have a culinary heritage. Their diet is unbearable.

As if we would starve to death here or are eating fried stuff all the time. NOT true!

So far, I haven’t met any Scot that has actually eaten a fried Mars bar. Definitely not a part of the staple diet. Something that the media invented and that was picked up by some tourists.

They could work on their bread offerings though… And yes, fresh yeast would be nice. But I’m not gonna complain. You can have a perfectly healthy diet in Scotland if you want.

Myth Number 3 - Men

So the typical Scotsman is a ginger head and wears a kilt all-day, right? Like Jamie from Outlander.

There certainly is a fair share of redheads in this country. But it is still the minority compared to browns and blonds.

When it comes to the kilt. Sorry to disappoint you. You do see a kilt now and then. But it’s the same as with Lederhosen and Dirndl (not a fan…) in Germany. We put them on for special occasions. The same applies to Scotland. You will see kilts for a wedding and similar events but certainly not on your work colleagues.

Myth Number 4 - Whisky or Whiskey

Ah, it took a while for me to get that one right. Which one is the Scottish one again - whisky or whiskey? By the way, the other version is Irish.

The way I remember it now, WhiskEy has an ‘e’ in it, and so does IrEland. No ‘e’ in Scotland! Clever, huh?

(Stay tuned for a full blog post on Scottish whisky coming up soon!)

Myth Number 5 - Bagpipes

Love them or hate them. They’re definitely an important part of Scottish culture. Bagpipes!

No doubt, you can categorise them as one of the louder instruments. Which derives from their usage as military piping band instruments.

But again, sorry to disappoint, despite the fact that they’re the national instrument, just because you’re Scottish doesn’t mean you can play it. It’s not something you learn at school. It’s quite a tricky one to figure out so that it sounds like music and isn’t torture to your ears.

I’d love to learn it one day. My parents bought me a kid version during our trips to Scotland. So far couldn’t get any sound out of it.

Oh, and check those guys out - Red Hot Chilli Pipers. A fusion of traditional Scottish music mixed with modern rock and pop songs.

Any other Scottish stereotypes you can think of that you want me to demystify? Let me know!