Newspapers and Funje | #AngoAmerican

Crown Street

Good morning everyone! I want to share all that has happened the past two weeks here in Glasgow.

Mr. Zach Gale - Jacksonville University

Last week, I attended a black-tie dinner/award ceremony (the Glasgow Business Awards). Throughout the evening, I got to know some of the college staff better. And I am very happy that my JU professor, Dr. Pordeli, prepared me to talk intelligently about the economy, because I got to talk to local businessmen about Jacksonville and its recovery from the 2008 Recession. I also met a cool journalist who works for the Evening Times and two other newspapers. She and I talked about life, school and music for most of the evening - especially music.

And, to finish my experience, I got to try Irn-Bru from a glass bottle. Talk about Scottish culture at its finest!

Sunday Herald - October 5, 2014

Oh, and my picture was in the Sunday Herald, a Scottish newspaper. It was in the Social section. That blew me away. I was on TV and in the newspaper, in the same week! The other two gentlemen in the picture are City of Glasgow College staff Roy Gardner and Alex Craig.

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Fancy a game?

Another cool thing happened on Monday. I took my first swings at a golf ball at Clydebank Golf Course in the West End. A local fish-and-chips shop owner, John, took me in the afternoon. I am so grateful to him; it was fantastic! We caught some rain when we first got there, but the skies cleared after about twenty minutes. With his instruction, I made it through all eighteen holes with some great strokes.


I ended up staying for dinner at John's house. Born and raised in Italy, he knew how to make great spaghetti and expresso. His family was very kind, and we enjoyed conversation throughout the evening.

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Since I still have a lot of free time, I can wander the city almost whenever I want. The Web Lounge is still one of my favorite places, though. Today, I had the best milkshake ever in my life, Kinder Bueno (shoutout to Sadia!). So thick and creamy...absolutely delicious.

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Two weeks ago, I found an amazing bistro in my college. An acquaintance of mine from Barbados pointed it out to me. The chef students make meals in a little cafe as part of their coursework, and they call it "The Bistro." I promise, nowhere else in the city can you find so much good food for 2.95 pounds. 

The meal in the picture below, from the Bistro, was delicious (crab and salad). One of the lecturers, supervising the students, helped me choose out the best lunch on the menu that day. "Have you heard of dressed crab? ...Give him a lot of beet salad, it's really good!"

I have eaten there almost every afternoon this past week. My meals have included a Scotch Egg (boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat and fried in a crispy shell - I'll take two please), and the best macaroni and cheese I've ever tasted.

Dressed Crab, Salad, and Beet Salad

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I also got to go horseback riding with a Polish family I have befriended. After the morning ride near Stepps (just outside the city), we went to their house and mother told me about Warsaw. I even got to do a random photoshoot with the youngest daughter that afternoon inside a Burger King!

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This past Saturday, I tried funje. I think you need a little boldness to put something pronounced "foon-gee" in your mouth. Some friends of mine were hanging out in their flat, and I saw them as I was walking. The four of them are from Angola, in Africa. They saw me and invited me up. We talked about their country, my country, food and music, life and God. I can still hear them rapping in Portuguese!

Angolan Beef Stew and...Funje

I was surprised, but happy, when they asked me to stay and eat dinner. It was Angolan fish stew and....funje. 

Now, what on earth is funje? I was thinking the same thing. Turns out it is cassava flour and water, heated and beaten together. The flavor and texture are somewhere between mashed potatoes, cornbread and tofu. 

Yes, it sounds weird. And yes, I love it!

Though funje is an Angolan staple, very few people outside their culture even know what it is. So, I am pretty confident we made the first AngoAmerican funje on Thursday. And, as I stood there, holding the bag of cassava flour, my friend randomly started laughing. He said, "I will never forget this day - the day an American helped me make funje!" It was definitely one of the highlights of my trip.


It is truly amazing to me how many experiences I have had on this trip.

Until next time,

God bless!
Zacchari Gale

#jutocogc