Epicentre of the world when it comes to people telling jokes and making booze

Epicentre of the world when it comes to people telling jokes and making booze - Vladimir McTavish

No matter where you go in the world, you will find people who love Scotland and all things Scottish. I was in a pub in Adelaide the other night where they were selling Tennent’s as their top-of-the-range draft offering. Back home, it’s basic cooking lager. Down Under, it’s an exotic international beer.

Aussies are not just crazy about Scotland, they’re nuts about Edinburgh too.

Sometimes you have to travel halfway around the world to appreciate the global appeal of home. Aussies are not just crazy about Scotland. They’re nuts about Edinburgh too.

While the rest of Scotland may look on the capital with contempt, regarding it as snooty, out here in Australia it is regarded in near mythical terms. When I talk to comedians performing at the Adelaide Fringe, their ultimate ambition is to take a show to Edinburgh. When I point out out that they could be playing to an audience of three in a grubby pub in the Cowgate and paying thousands of pounds to rent a room in a grotty student flat, they maintain that doing an Edinburgh show is the pinnacle of their ambition.

When I tell them that summer in Scotland can be colder than winter in Australia, and even when I describe the Silent Disco in full horrific detail, they are not deterred.

It is not just comedians who view our city as the capital of the world. Yesterday, the young guy who served me in my local bottle shop asked me what part of Scotland I came from, having clocked my accent. When I told him I now live in Edinburgh, his face positively lit up. He told me he is hoping to get good enough grades to study brewing and distilling at Heriot Watt University. I told him that the course had a global reputation, which it does. Although I didn’t have the heart to tell the poor guy that he’d actually be stuck on a campus outside of the city, halfway to Mid Calder. He might not be so enthusiastic about Edinburgh after that.

Our city is seen globally as a tourist destination rich in history. We are known world wide for stunning cityscapes and jaw-dropping photo opportunities. However, we are also the epicentre of the world when it comes to people telling jokes and learning how to make booze. I’ll drink to that.