Scottish culture and habit (Leo's thread)

Scottish culture and habit can vary from one area to the next much like England.For instance Scottish border towns often sound and act much more Scottish than any Scot, why this is im not sure.Its as if they need to reassure thier identity.

I spent my life in Central Scotland and both the west and east coasts as well as Argyll.I also had a weekend record fair type business so travelled far and wide from Wick to Newcastle.

Hopefully others will chime in and cover any areas i miss or simply dont know about.
Lets start with the major cities and immediate surroundings.
Glasgow,a huge city that would take days to see and even then youll have missed the best bits.
In the daytime its a shoppers paradise,truly a fantastic place for fashion,two major malls in the city centre.
Nightime is a different story,shoppers clear out and clubbers move in,an abundence of pubs and clubs , live music etc.
Many top bands played Glasgow pubs , Oasis got thier first contract after playing King Tuts in Glasgow.
Visit the pub opposite Central station and youll see one of Keith Moons bass drums above the bar.

Avoid going out alone and be watchful at all times.Plenty of con men junkies etc..it is after all a city.
If you want to party go to the west end for student age company and a great night out or head to the southside for a more relaxed classy night.
Keep away from the east end which is only good at weekends when theres a huge flea market all weekend.Keep out of the bars down there.
City centre is fine if your with others,do not be caught there alone at night , young kids travel in packs looking for just that kind of target.
Theres a lot of taxis everywhere,if in doubt have the bartender/waitress call you one.

Stay out of north glasgow , its mostly housing schemes and a pretty tough area.I lived there for 15 years and wouldnt go in a bar there if you paid me.
Architecture in Glasgow is fantastic , a real beautiful city and pretty friendly.Just be careful and nobodys fool.

Edinburgh is totally different , its a magnificent city and the jewel of Scotland.Nowhere close to glasgow for shopping , here you will find the tacky tourist tat stores next to some of the worlds finest/expensive shops.
In summer it cant be beat for fun , the fringe is on but even without it Edinburgh is just a fun place.
Again dont wander too far as there are some very rough areas just outside the city.

Both Edinburgh and Glasgow have excellent huge train stations and the coast is only an hour away whichever way you go.
Fantastic towns on the east coast with wonderful beaches ,on the west coast you have the highlands and many islands.

Culture i suppose goes in age groups to an extent , the kids can be pretty wild and kinda wise for thier years.
The young'uns are no different from anywhere else , same problems but by no means do they all turn to drink or drugs , a lot of decent hard working kids and they party just as hard.

One thing you'll see a lot of in central Scotland is buckfast wine,its a mystery who drinks it all but youll see those empty green bottles everywhere.
Kids mostly but older generations too , other names for it are electric soup , a bottle of whoyoutalkingto , the buckie , its mostly drank straight from the bottle and this is known as "playing the green trumpet"

Make no mistake this is fire water of the highest order and usually ends badly.
Food is generally the same however i have noticed a few things that totally matter.
Indian food for instance , in England the portions are tiny whereas in Scotland if you order 1 indian meal you can guarentee it will feed two people easily.
A portion of pakora in Newcastle was 3 bits , in Scotland a portion is around 20 bits.

I believe the quality is better too , Mr Singhs in Glasgow wins the award for best UK curry about every year.
There is a very high standard of Indian food throughout Scotland.
You'll find Alf Tupper size portions of Fish suppers , in Scotland a fish supper is two whereas in England its one.

So they like to feed you in Scotland.

The beef is probably the best in the world ,Aberdeen angus is pretty standard , some great fishing to be had just about anywhere.
Im probably way off track from what you want to hear and its very late here in Pa.
Ask a few questions , as many as you like or a pointer in which area youd like to know about.