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GLASGOW, Out

Cream tea at “Fifi and Ally”…

Fifi and alli

And this is what I had today! A beautiful cream tea, as they call it here, at a favourite Glasgow cafe, Fifi and Ally. It is situated in Princes Square and it makes the best fruit scones I have ever had. My friend and husband both agreed that this was the case! It does look awesome in the photo yeah? Can you imagine what it actually tastes like? These are the things the cafes back home just cannot do :-(. But hey since I live here I am so lucky to have the opportunity to enjoy them with my friends and my love.

Where is your favourite place for tea or coffee?

Family, GLASGOW, Out

Take me to (little) Italy…

I know I know…I have not updated the blog for ages and I have missed it so much! Yesterday we went with some good friends on a boat trip around the Isle of Arran, had a great lunch with Caesar salad and fabulous chocolate cherry pie that my Colin made from scratch, drank champagne and bonded. I was also so happy to wear my red Vogue sunglasses my dad bought for me as a gift for the summer.

Some people above had decided to name their boat “Quantum of Solace”. I found this worth of a picture!

Today I took my dad to our favourite coffee/restaurant place in Glasgow. It is called Little Italy and it has, to my opinion, the best coffee and the best pizza in Glasgow. My dad loves it too and we go there every morning for a treat. I also love their Portuguese tarts. Yum yum!!! I had my favourite cappucino and an amaretto cheesecake.

Where is your favourite place for coffee?

Out

My first Scottish Wedding…Eeeeeehaaaa!

And after my big traditional greek wedding, I was delighted to attend a proper traditional Scottish Wedding. It was all very romantic and the weather kept pretty dry for the photos to be taken outside. The beautiful flower girls looked as if they came out of a fairy tale and I learned to dance every Scottish Dance, Ceilidh, that there is around. A great night with my Scottish Family up in the Highlands of Scotland.

In

Creme caramel….mmmmhhh!

I am trying to perfect my creme caramel. I have tried 5 different recipes and it is not easy at all I have to say. Sometimes the eggs are too many, some others are not enough and the thing never sets, the other time the oven temperature was not right. I am absolutely determined though. I will get this right. I also have a recipe Giagia (my greek grandma) gave me and it has ouzo in the caramel! I got a present for my forthcoming wedding, there were 4 ramekins in the shape of heart, so it got me going again that I must try to do this right. This time I tried the recipe from Jamie Oliver’s new cookbook “Jamie does….Spain, Morocco, Sweden, Greece, Italy and France”. It is cooking just as I am posting this. Fingers crossed!!!

In

Made in…

What do I wear is the question. Or is it better if I start with what I do not wear? Well, the last two years approximately, I have realised thatt the world of fashion has made a turn to the East. No I do not mean that the geisha look is in fashion at least not this season. I mean, the well known move of most of the clothes factories to China. This means that a known clothing business with the name for example AA Yupi started in England around 1980-1990. Both the factory and the business were located in England.

Τι φοράω η ερώτηση. Να αρχίσω μήπως καλύτερα από το τι δε φοράω; Λοιπόν τα τελευταία δυο περίπου χρόνια έχω συνηδητοποιήσει ότι ο κόσμος της μόδας έχει κάνει μια στροφή προς την Ανατολή. Όχι δεν εννοώ ότι είναι στη μόδα οι γκέισες, τουλάχιστον όχι αυτή τη σεζόν. Εννοώ, τη γνωστή μεταφορά των περισσότερων εργοστασίων ρούχων στην Κίνα. Αυτό σημαίνει ότι μια γνωστή επιχείρηση ρούχων με την επωνυμία για παράδειγμα ΑΑ England ξεκίνησε στην Αγγλία κάπου ας πούμε στις δεκαετίες 1980 και1990. Το εργοστάσιο και η επιχείρηση βρίσκονταν στην Αγγλία.

Since 2000 till today most of the clothing businesses have moved the factory to China with substantial decrease in the production costs. However, this was not followed by a relevant and parallel decrease in the buying cost to the European market at least. In other words, they sell to us the Chinese clothes at the same expensive prices, multiplying in this way their profits while ourselves the idiot customers we think that we wear a brand, while in reality the shoe, the bag, the clothes are made by people of Asia for example that work under terrible conditions 20 hours per day and with super low salaries.

Από το 2000-σήμερα οι περισσότερες επιχειρήσεις ρούχων μετέφεραν το εργοστάσιο ρούχων στην Κίνα με αξιοσημείωτες μειώσεις του κόστους παραγωγής των ρούχων. Αυτό όμως δε συνοδεύτηκε και με παράλληλη μείωση της τιμής πώλησης προς την ευρωπαϊκή αγορά. Πολύ απλά μας πουλάνε τα κινέζικα ρούχα τους πλέον στις ίδιες υψηλές τιμές, πολλαπλασιάζοντας έτσι το κέρδος τους ενώ εμείς οι ηλίθιοι νομίζουμε ότι φοράμε μάρκα, στην ουσία το παπούτσι, η τσάντα, το ρούχο είναι φτιαγμένα από ασιάτες που δουλεύουν υπό άθλιες συνθήκες και εξετευτελιστικούς μισθούς.

Thus, I refuse to buy from now on things that says “Made in China, Cambodia, India, etc.” especially if it is sold as a brand. You should know that I find great difficulty, as the trick is known to most of these businesses so it is very difficult to dress under this philosophy. The more you look though the more you find businesses that still have factories in Europe so you can choose which ones are for you. There are also businesses that they make some of their clothes/shoes/bags in European countries so there is a small choice from the specific brand.

Εγώ λοιπόν αρνούμαι πλέον να αγοράσω πράγμα που γράφει Made in China, Cambodia, India, κτλ. ειδικά αν πωλείται ως «μάρκα». Είναι πολύ δύσκολο μη νομίζετε, γιατί το κολπάκι το έχουν βρει οι περισσότεροι οπότε είναι δύσκολο να ντυθείς κάτω υπό αυτή τη φιλοσοφία. Όσο περισσότερο το ψάχνεις όμως βρίσκεις επιχειρήσεις που έχουν εργοστάσια στην Ευρώπη και επιλέγεις από εκεί και πέρα αυτές που σου ταιριάζουν. Υπάρχουν επιχειρήσεις επίσης που φτιάχνουν μερικά από τα ρούχα/παπούτσια/τσάντες τους στις χώρες της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης για παράδειγμα οπότε υπάρχει μια μικρή επιλογή από τη συγκεκριμένη «μάρκα».

To avoid also misunderstandings, I pose no negativity to the Asian/Eastern countries and the hard labour of their people neither am I against dressing in brands. However, I choose to wear clothes, shoes, bags, etc that are made in the European Union, as I find it idiotic to pay for a brand, pay £200 or more and the product to have come from the sheep fields of Win Tsan Lon. So you people understand that consumers can be used and abused.

Και για να μην παρεξηγηθώ, δεν έχω τίποτα με τις ασιατικές χώρες και τον σκληρό μόχθο των ανθρώπων εκεί ούτε με τις «μάρκες». Επιλέγω όμως να φοράω ρούχα/παπούτσια/τσάντες που είναι φτιαγμένα στην Ευρωπαϊκή ‘Ενωση, γιατί το θεωρώ ηλίθιο να ψωνίζω «μάρκα», να το πληρώνω από 200 ευρώ και πάνω και να έχει έρθει από τα βοσκοτόπια του Γιν Τσαν Λον. Έτσι για να μη νομίζουν ότι οι καταναλωτές πάνε σαν τα πρόβατα!

Tell me then what is the “Made in…” and I will tell you how much of a fashion victim you have been!

Πες μου λοιπόν το “Made in…” να σου πω πόσο θύμα είσαι!