Italian Ice-Creams and Fish Suppers in Scotland

I have just read Mary Contini’s book Notes to Olivia about her Italian family’s early days in Edinburgh. She is the owner of the famous deli, Valvont and Crola. Scotland's oldest Delicatessen and Italian Wine Merchant and one of Europe's most original Specialist Food Shops. I will come back to the story of this a bit later.

Scotland has long enjoyed an affiliation with Italians since the first immigrants arrived in the late 1800s. It is estimated there are tens of thousands of Scots of Italian heritage, including high profile figures. Italian immigration into Scotland forever reshaped the country's culinary and social landscape.

Interestingly, post Brexit in 2016 there was the biggest surge in immigration in 100 years. One thing that makes it similar to the first phase of immigration from Italian is that large numbers are fleeing due to the lack of opportunity often in Puglia, Calabria and Sicily.

From the late 19th century, Scotland saw an increase in Italian immigrants. At this time, many Italians experienced poverty. Men fled to Scotland to make money to support their families in Italy, sending for them later. For some, it was seen as a stopping point en-route to America. Initially, they came from northern areas such as Tuscany, but emigration spread to the south by the 1900s. When America changed its immigration policy and closed the door of opportunity for many of the poorest Europeans, Scotland saw a further increase in Italian immigrants. The main reasons to seek a new life was as a direct result of economic conditions. Living conditions were harsh, with famine and sometimes droughts. Furthermore, Italy had an agricultural-based economy that was experiencing severe hardships and industrialisation was slower than in other European nations.  Many saw an opportunity to go elsewhere to earn a better living. After a slow start, in which the Italian immigrants failed to make any real economic progression, the Italians seized the opportunity to move into the catering world. Initially working as ‘hokey pokey’ men, selling ice cream from barrows, these men had been recruited in London and then sent to Scotland. They quickly moved into working-class areas, combining ice cream making with selling fish and chips. Restaurants and takeaways were established and sold food made using ingredients widely available in Scotland like fish and potatoes. To this day most Scottish towns still have an Italian chippy.

Fish and chips became essential to the diet of the ordinary man and woman, through the latter part of the 19th century and well into the 20th century. The fish and chip trade expanded greatly to satisfy the needs of the growing industrial population of Great Britain. In fact, you might say that the Industrial Revolution was fuelled partly by fish and chips! Nobody, however, could dispute the Italian influence after they had spotted the business opportunities to be had north of the border by selling pesce e patate. Stuart Atkinson, Scottish executive councillor with the National Fish Friers Federation, said their role was significant. As large numbers of Italian immigrants entered the Scottish fish and chip trade from around 1890 by 1914, they dominated the trade and opened many shops throughout Scotland.

From humble beginnings, by the 1920s these barrows had been transformed into luxury establishments in the city centres via working class areas. There are many famous Italian businesses in Scottish society like Nardini’s which boasted a beautiful Art Deco tearoom that became an key attraction. There was a greater degree of acceptance from the Temperance Movement as the cafés chose not to sell alcohol. Cafés such as these were as much an assertion of an identity in a new land as they were a business as a means of breadwinning. Helping to integrate the new arrivals into the communities of Scottish towns and cities. They were popular ventures for immigrants, and locals took very quickly to the idea. 

In Glasgow, police statistics show that in 1903 there were 89 ice cream shops in the city. A year later that number had nearly doubled, reaching 184, and by 1905 there were estimated to be 336 ice cream shops in the Glasgow area alone. Many made a living from the Scottish sweet tooth. ITally is slang for Italian and the title refers to both Italian blood and to the raspberry sauce added to ice-cream. It is fair to say that Italian cafés were at the heart of Scottish culture, but the question remains as to whether Italians were fully accepted in Scottish society. Their cafés were often the scene of unruly behaviour. This led to cries that the Italian cafés were morally corrupt, articles appeared in newspapers reporting the ‘ice cream hell’. Their popularity wasn’t universal and they did encounter some hard times along the way, which most likely strengthened the ties of the growing Italian community, who helped one another when needed. Immigrants can enrich and bring a new dimension and flavour to the customs and culture of their adopted land. And I am sure that the colourful Italian community must have added character to the dour cities, towns and villages in Scotland. 

What whetted by interest in this subject was the story of brothers Alfonso and Vittorio Crolla who emigrated to Scotland and established a small ice-cream and confectionery in 1906. They were to team up with Raffaele Valvona in 1934, by that time an elderly shopkeeper who was thought by the Italian community to need the acumen of the Crolla family. They sold easily affordable food, mainly to the Italian immigrant community. This succeeded brilliantly, helped by the fact that a lot of returning troops after the war, who had fought in Italy, had acquired a taste for the Italian meats, cheeses and olives.  Having concentrated on inexpensive produce, Valvona & Crolla made the shrewd decision, as supermarkets began to undersell local businesses, to specialise by importing the best Italian food and drink. They were to be a pioneer of healthy food, never failing to point out the virtues of low-cost tomatoes and packets of spaghetti. Alfonso died in the war, but Alfonso’s son, Vittorio continued to work with his uncle, taking over the business in 1945 with his brother-in-law, Carlo Contini.

For 40 years Victor Crolla, was the head of the family at Valvona & Crolla.  His Italian delicatessen was famous not only in Edinburgh but among tens of thousands of festival and other visitors to the Scottish capital. The language in the shop was sui generis (a hybrid between Leith Scots and High Neapolitan) It speaks volumes for the family's relationship with the Scots that during the Second World War the shop's loyal staff continued to keep it open so that there was a business to return to. Victor Crolla, stepped down in 1985, but in the words of his nephew Philip Contini who ran the shop, he continued to be the spiritual head of the store. In 2019 Philip and his wife Mary, handed over the reins to their eldest daughter, Francesca Contini Mackie, Alfonso’s great-grand daughter making this a fourth- generation family business which brings a little bit of Italy to Scotland.

I wish them a continued success; I am a great believer in family and local businesses. I also think it shows how important it is to mix cultures by immigration and hope this does continue as it enriches all our lives for the better!

Learning More Lingo…….

Many Britons are turning to learning languages like never before, according to the Guardian Newspaper. French is one of the most popular choices, as many adults took up a language online during lockdown. The timing seems at odds with recent events like Brexit and Covid stopping overseas travel. With our recent exit from the European Union, should we be saying a very firm and British Goodbye? Yet for many in the UK, it seems that on our departure it is more a case of Au revoir.

Academics maintain the recent upsurge in language apps in Lockdown, shows a pent-up interest and wish to study languages. For a nation supposedly averse to speaking other languages, the British have been turning in large numbers to foreign tongues as a first resort in the absence of more traditional forms of entertainment and communication. 

 It shows there are a lot of people who want to learn a language. It’s surprising how often you meet people in all walks of life who are taking language courses. But many people have been put off by unrealistically difficult exam syllabuses at school, GCSE and A level papers are too demanding and grading is too harsh when compared to other subjects.   Oxford Professor Katrin Kohl 

Formal language learning in our schools has declined substantially over the last 15 years, but there are some signs of encouragement. The British Council’s annual Language Trends survey showed a marked increase in children who took French or Spanish at GCSE in 2019, although A-level entries were still down. It would be great if parents could encourage their children to see the importance of learning another language. In 2018, 96% of pupils in upper secondary education in the EU’s 27 countries learnt English as a foreign language. In a majority of EU Member States, more than three fifths of all upper secondary education pupils were learning two or more foreign languages.

One of the most rewarding aspects of the human experience is our ability to connect with others. Being able to communicate with someone in his or her language is an incredible gift. Bilinguals have the unique opportunity to communicate with a wider range of people in their personal and professional lives.

Despite the decline in schools, adults continue to value language highly, the British Council found. During the spring lockdown, 10% of adults in the UK began learning a foreign language or returned to one after a break. A third of those surveyed said that Spanish was the most important language for young people to learn, followed by French at 20% and Mandarin at 18%.

Thousands more are learning Spanish, German, Italian, or other EU languages, with some of them hoping to improve their language skills to a level where they qualify for citizenship of a European country. Since British citizens no longer have the right to live and work in EU countries after the 31^st of December 2020. The UK is now one of Duolingo’s top five countries by the total number of daily learners, according to the app’s UK general manager, Colin Watkins, with a rise in new learners of 132% on last year. Events like Brexit and Covid plus cultural moments like the Olympics are driving the change, he said. “Brits now want to be better citizens of the world when we travel, when we do business, when we meet people in the UK.” 

I was introduced to Duolingo by a work colleague in lockdown. And since June 2020 have been learning three languages every day.  I introduced my mother to this app and at 76 years old she is learning Spanish. I like the easy- to- use, fun format of Duolingo, I don’t think you could become fluent, but I combine a mix of CDs and books as well as the phone app and have been surprised at how much I have learnt.

I have long been embarrassed at how poor my own language skills and those of my fellow brits are compared to my French, Spanish and German friends. To think that many ex-pats cannot speak the language of the country they live in is wrong on so many levels. Just because English is spoken in most countries is not really a valid excuse. You can simply use your smartphone or other devices to translate everything on-the-go. And while technology certainly helps with communication, but it can never replace human interactions. Be warned, Google translate is also not fully accurate!

Colin Watkins, from Duolingo, says that many of the 15 million people who have signed up to Duolingo’s online courses are not aiming to become fluent but to gain a basic level of understanding. As one of our first courses French was already very popular, so to see it make the top five shows new learners have chosen it because they want to travel there in the future, maybe want to do business, emigrate, or just pick up on what they learned in school.”

Other language learning apps are seeing similar rises. Memrise saw a large increase in new users in March, and 70% of people using its platform are learning Spanish or French, while German, Italian and Japanese are also popular.

The app, Babel helps its community remember the vocabulary they learn through six memory stages using “spaced repetition,” moving words through exercises that are arranged to aid retention. In bite-sized, 10–15-minute lessons, students have opportunities to gain skills in reading, writing, grammar and speaking in their target language in likely scenarios, especially for travel.

Yes, learning a new language is a big challenge. But if you can get in the right state of mind and you're not looking for overnight fluency, the progress you make will make can make you feel incredibly proud. You do have to remain consistent for a few months to see steady progress but it is totally worth it and the more you do it the easier it gets. It’s also a great way to keep your brain in trim studies have shown that using more than one language can delay the onset of dementia by four to five years. Yet another great reason.

Bon Chance et Au revoir.

Is it Finally Over-Brexit?

The UK officially left the 27-member political and economic bloc on the 31st of January 2019, three and half years after the UK public voted to leave in the 2016 Brexit referendum. Sticking to the EU's trading rules for 11 months while the two sides negotiated their future economic partnership.

How did it all start? In a public referendum held on the 23th June 2016, the majority of those who voted chose to leave the European Union. I was a remainder myself, and many of the people I know who voted were not 100% sure which way to vote. Many people have now said if they had the chance to vote again, they would have voted to remain in the EU.

The UK had long been expected to leave the European Union on the 29^th of March 2019.  However, following a House of Commons vote on the 14^th of March 2019, the Government sought permission from the EU to extend Article 50 and agree a later Brexit date. On the 28^th of October 2019, the EU Ambassadors agreed to a further Brexit extension to the 31th of January 2020.

It has taken, several years, much discussion, a national election a new Prime minster and leader of the opposition party. On the 12^th of December 2019, Boris Johnson won a majority in the UK General Election and reaffirmed his commitment to ‘get Brexit done ‘by the 31th of January 2020.

On 23 January 2020, the European Union (Withdrawal Agreement) Act 2020 received Royal Assent.  This is the legislation that will implement the withdrawal agreement negotiated by the UK and the EU. On the 31th of January 2020, the UK was to leave the EU and enter a transition period. The transition period ended on the 31th of December 2020 and the United Kingdom, finally left the EU single market and customs union. 

So, is that it then? Most of us in the UK have not been able to figure out exactly what this deal was, however much we tried to follow! Just as no-one totally understood the reasons for leaving. Deal or No deal have summed up the last few years.

Some people thought we were actually leaving Europe, no, we are Europeans and still part of Europe. We do care about our European friends, who most likely think we don’t. Its all like a bad divorce, with passing time it could hopefully become more amiable.

So, what is actually changing? Before Brexit, the U.K. was part of the E.U.'s single market that allows people, goods, services and money to travel freely around the continent with little or no checks at all. In December, the two sides agreed a new trade deal to replace their old partnership. Businesses and travellers, alike have been waking up to the reality that the new system has the potential for serious disruption to their old life’s.

Brexit has also caused disruption inside the U.K. itself. Extra paperwork has meant delays and empty supermarket shelves in Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K. but is treated differently in terms of trade under the new post-Brexit deal. Even large retailers like M&S have had difficulties. Some British online retailers have said they are no longer able to ship to Northern Ireland. (even though it's all part of the same country)

This new era has begun for the United Kingdom after it completed its formal separation from the European Union. Replacement arrangements for travel, trade, immigration and security co-operation came into force when the UK stopped following EU rules.

Boris Johnson said the UK had "freedom in our hands and the ability to do things differently and better" now the long Brexit process was over. But opponents of leaving the EU maintain the country will be worse-off. In Brussels, there is said to be, a sense of relief that the long Brexit process is over, but there is regret still at Brexit itself. Basically, the European Union thinks that Brexit makes both the EU and the UK weaker. This is a valid point.

Whether we like it or not, and most of us don’t, significant changes are here, for trade, travel, security and immigration and more changes could well become more apparent in the months ahead.

It’s a time of great change, uncertainty and sadness that this should have even happened. But life goes on Post- Brexit and the only way is forward and to work with it. I hope my many ex-pats friends are ok, as like in Ireland they are experiencing the worst deal in all of this.

I love travel and have always hoped to retire overseas and hope I still can!