63 Percent Scottish: A Scotland Appreciation Podcast

Do Scottish people actually like haggis? Or is it just another Deep Fried Mars Bar - a sort of tourism trick to get attention?

We asked an expert, Rosalind Erskine. She's the Food and Drink Editor at the Scotsman, one of Scotland's national newspapers, and the host of Scran, a podcast all about Scottish food. We covered:

• The prevalence of haggis consumption in Scotland
• The various types of haggis available
• The occasion necessary to consume haggis

Then we moved on to a quiz - asking Rosalind the five quickfire questions she asks her guests. But, before all that, Eamon provided a quick 101 on Burns Suppers.

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

We've already done a Five Fast Questions with Owen Innes so we had to get creative with our questions for round two. This time we cover: 

1. What's one Scottish historical event or person that more people should know?
2. We talked about highland culture on our episode our Culloden. Do you own a kilt? How often do you wear a kilt?
3. What book about Scottish history would you recommend to our listeners?
4. An enemy army is approaching Scotland. Do you settle in for a siege at Edinburgh Castle - which has never been taken - or do you head for the highlands?
5. What is the northernmost point in Scotland that you've visited?

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

Tags: scottishscotlandfilm

With characters like Bonnie Prince Charlie and Flora MacDonald, key moments like Prestonpans and Culloden, and dire consequences for highland culture, it’s no mystery that people are still engrossed by the stories of the 1745 Jacobite Uprising. 

We've asked Owen Innes from the Scottish History Podcast to give us a rundown of the battle itself, but also its ultimate consequences. In this episode we cover:

• The lead-up to the battle of Culloden
• Whether Bonnie Prince Charlie really deserves our respect
• The highland clearances following Culloden
• Some historical speculation about the Scots winning at Culloden

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

We've asked author and journalist Jonathan Melville - a man who *literally* wrote the book on Local Hero - five fast questions about Scottish film. Here's what we cover:

1. Local Hero is a great standard-bearer for Scottish film, but if you had to pick one other film to represent Scotland on the global stage, what would it be?
2. The role of James Bond is currently vacant - which Scottish actor would be your pick to fill it?
3. What is the most iconic Scottish film performance of all time?
4. Where should a tourist visit in Scotland to get a better appreciation of Scottish film history and culture?
5. Is there a definitive book on Scottish film?

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

We've talked about everything from baking to whiskey to history, but 63 Percent Scottish explores a new frontier in our newest episode: film. We've chosen the film "Local Hero" which has been called the "definitive" Scottish film to discuss. Why is it a definitive representation of Scottish culture?

To answer, we have journalist and author Jonathan Melville on the show. He's the author of "Local Hero: Making a Scottish Classic" - the definitive account of how this film was made, which is available in the USA and Canada. We cover:

• What makes "Local Hero" the definitive Scottish film?
• The non-stereotypical depiction of rural Scottish life
• The message Bill Forsyth was trying to communicate with the film
• The soundtrack contributions of Glaswegian Mark Knopfler

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

We've already asked The Hebridean Baker - Coinneach MacLeod - five fast questions, so could we come up with five more? Of course! Here's what we cover:

1. You’ve traveled the world to promote your book. When you return from your globe-trotting what’s the first baked treat that you crave?
2. Your cookbooks include a huge number of recipes, but if you had to pick just one bake to represent the Isle of Lewis forever, what would it be?
3. You made a fantastic Christmas commercial with BBC Alba last year – we’ll post it on social media so everyone can see – where you help a young girl with some holiday baking. The big question: what did you make? It looks fantastic.
4. On a scale of 1-10, how important is whisky to baking?
5. Last time, I asked you to help the listeners learn how to say “Hello” in Gaelic. This time, can you tell us how to say “That tastes great” or the equivalent?

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

Experiencing food is an important part of experiencing culture. Just think about it - how do you tell the culture of Detroit, New York and Chicago apart? The pizza (among other things). But seriously, food and food traditions can tell you a lot about the past and present of a culture, and Scotland is no different. 

We've asked Coinneach MacLeod, famous the world over as the Hebridean Baker, to tell us a bit about Scottish baking. We cover:

• How he got into baking
• The cultural norms that guide the Scottish style of baking
• Key Scottish bakes
• Whether baking/food is the perfect ambassador for a culture

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

We asked Instagram historian Beth Reid five questions and challenged her to answer each in one minute or less. Here are the questions:

1. If you could meet one person from the Scottish Wars of Independence, who would it be?
2. What's your second favourite era of Scottish history?
3. If you had to recommend one place in Scotland for our listeners to visit, what would it be?
4. You have to recommend one book about Scottish history for our listeners to read - what is it?
5. Forgetting about history for a second, what's the most beautiful place you've ever visited in Scotland?

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

Think about your top-ten Scottish historical figures. How many are women? For most people, Scottish history is simplified to William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, Bonnie Prince Charlie, etc. But women are 50% of the population and they *were* there - playing a central role - for everything from the Jacobite Uprising of 1745 to the Scottish Enlightenment.

We've asked Beth Reid, a historian who has become very well known on Instagram as historywithbeth, to talk to us about the many women who played history-making roles in the Scottish Wars of Independence. We cover:

• The basics of the Scottish Wars of Independence
• The reasons we should study women in history
• The story of Isabella MacDuff
• The influential Queens Consort during the Scottish Wars of Independence
• Women in combat roles

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.

We asked Scottish Sun journalist Lewis McKenzie five questions and challenged him to answer each in one minute or less. Here are the questions:

1. You’re a political reporter but you’ve worked in a few areas – including sports and comedy. All of these sound like a blast to cover. Which is the most engaging/enjoyable as a journalist?
2. Comedy can get pretty subversive, but so can politics. Which beat has had the darkest humour?
3. If I was to tell people “X is the heart of independence in Scotland” where would X be?
4. For tourism-centric listeners, what’s a place in Scotland that everyone should visit at least once?
5. Finally, as someone who covers a hot button issue, I’d bet you get a bit of abuse from readers on both sides of the discussion. How do you cope?

Have thoughts? Connect with 63 Percent Scottish on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram or contact us at 63percentscottish.com.

Music by RomanSenykMusic from Pixabay.