The SAMS Lyceum of Martial and Societal Antediluvian Chronicles An addendum to The SAMS Sporran January 2012 Scottish History Real Scottish Food Everyone associates Haggis as the penultimate Scottish food. One cannot discount The Fried Mars Bar either. But is it really? Over the centuries the key to Scotland's survival and winning many battles has been oatmeal. It has sustained generations of Scots, and the image of ​ ​ the hardy Scot is almost entirely founded on oatmeal as a food. It is also a key ingredient in haggis. Before you dismiss this idea as foolish, stop and think. Refrigeration is a modern invention. So, food had to be either eaten immediately, smoked, salted for storage, kept warm or like chicken fried. Kitchens, or at least the fireplaces or hearths, where food was prepared, were large. One stood IN the hearth or fireplace to cook and stir the food. You probably grew up reciting the children's poem Peas Porridge. That is exactly how it was. For those of us who may ​ ​ have been culturally deprived: “Peas porridge hot, peas porridge cold , peas porridge in the pot nine days old.” How did this work? First you layered stones, a lot of them, on the bottom of your fireplace. Then you built the fire over them and cooked your food. After the final meal of the day the fire would gradually die down but the stones remained hot. The warmth kept the food from spoiling. To prepare the next meal one only needed to “stoke “ the firestones, throw a little kindling, then wood and poof, you had fire. Add some water to the porridge, stir lightly and you had your meal. This process was repeated as long as needed.When the original ingredients were gone you simply added something else and began it all over again. Fortunately, we don't have to cook it that way now, oatmeal (porridge)is a both healthy and a most delicious substance, whether fine cut, medium, coarse or pinhead. Oatmeal is low on the glycaemic index, which means that it is slowly absorbed by the body, providing a gradual release of energy. Oatmeal is high in fibre – indeed, it has been top of the list of recommended foods to be eaten daily to prevent bowel cancer, and it absorbs cholesterol – so it wins all round as a health-food. It is also tasty. Oatmeal (porridge) is extremely utilitarian. For example, the pinhead variety makes the best of all coatings for filleted fish or chicken, or as a crust for racks of lamb. And for those who are allergic to gluten, oatmeal makes delicious pancakes. The flavor of oatmeal is also enhanced when dry-fried before use as stuffing. Mixed with walnuts and herbs it makes a great crumble crust for meats especially lamb. So maybe that smiling guy, on the front of the box, should be wearing a kilt instead of a pilgrim’s hat. Scotland Magazine ​

American History ​ The Viet Nam War In 1961 Mad Magazine​ declared it an upside down and backwards year and with so much that occurred that year, mercifully it is the last one until 6009. That was the year that the Viet Nam entered the American psyche. That was the year that inwhich what was to become the Viet Nam War literally exploded after simmering for 16 years. The Viet Nam War ended the illusions with which we had grown up. It psychologically ​ ​ and literally split the country. It was the longest and most expensive war. It had the most casualties. It was the most divisive war since the Civil War and most importantly it didn’t have to happen. Like most wars the one in Viet Nam had a complicated beginning. The United States had become involved in Viet Nam near the end of World War II. In 1945 President Truman authorized the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) to assist Ho Chi Minh in locating downed American pilots and gathering intelligence on Japanese military positions and provide weather reports to the US air services. (Each branch had its own aviators; the USAF wasn’t formed until 1947.) Initially, it was with money, weapons and advisors. The advisors were to train Ho’s rag tag troops in the finer art of war. Prior to WWII Viet Nam had been part of French IndoChina.The Japanese invaded and expelled the French. Although physically and financially devastated by the war the French returned to their former colonies, whether or not the colonies wanted them back, many did not. Ho Chi Minh had fought the Japanese for Vietnamese freedom and now he was fighting the French. This placed The American government in a difficult position. Which “ally” should they support? By 1947, President Truman was tacitly supporting France; he had authorised a moderate amount of funding ($160 million) to assist the French war effort. Additionally, we were allies with the French during World War II so in September 1950, ​ President Harry Truman cancelled the OSS and created the Military Assistance Advisory Group (MAAG) and sent it to Vietnam to assist the French to fight against our other former “ally” Ho Chi Minh. The President claimed they were not sent as combat troops, but to supervise the use of $10 million worth of US military equipment to support the French in their effort to fight the Communist forces. We wound up footing the bill initially for @ 30%, eventually footing the bill ​ for up to 80% of the French costs. In 1953 General Henri Navarre, gave us the penultimate ​ ​ aphorism about the war in Viet Nam, when he said, “There is a light at the end of the tunnel.” By 1951, US military aid to the French had tripled to $450 million. By 1953, it was up to $785 million. French forces in Vietnam were using American supplied equipment, armaments, tanks, ships and aircraft on loan from the US and of course American advisors. The unsaid truth about American advisors was that if you were advising French troops in combat tactics you weren’t doing it in a classroom. The airplanes air-dropping supplies to French Troops at Dien Bien Phu were American flown by Americans. By the time French surrendered to the Viet Minh in mid-1954, Washington had invested almost $3 billion in ‘saving’ Indochina from the spectre of communism. In 1954 The South East Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) was formed to prevent the ​ spread of Communism in The Former French Colonies. (The irony of this organization was that of the eight members there were only two member countries actually in Asia.)This allowed President Eisenhower to increase MAAG’s numbers to 700 in 1955. He also supported South Vietnam's refusal to hold the election to determine who would rule a united Viet Nam. Thus guaranteeing a complete civil war. It is impossible to write about Viet Nam without mentioning those who fought and those who died there. Mad- The What Me Worry- Magazine was certainly correct, at least for one section of the population; the men who grew up in the ‘50’s and 60’s. We were the children of ​ the people who won “The Big One - WWII”. Our fathers fought the war and our mothers worked in the factories and flew airplanes. Our fathers were heroes and our mothers were the first truly “liberated” women. For them it was a time of celebration of prosperity. For us it was a time of ice cream ​ trucks ringing their way down the streets. It was a time of plenty. We had plenty of time to play outside. We always had plenty of time to play baseball in the street,the playground or any patch of grass we could find. We had plenty of friends and plenty of things to do. We were fearless; we shot each other with finger pistols or rubber bands and played dodgeball and actually enjoyed it! We even drank water from garden hoses! Later we would watch TV and The Mickey Mouse Club. Jiminy Cricket even taught us how to spell encyclopedia. We wore coonskin caps and Mickey Mouse ears. We went onto high school with a pile of textbooks, homework and SAT tests. Then there was all the bally-hoo and hoopla associated with high school sports. Professional sports players still lived in our neighborhoods and we could see our local heroes close up in church or in stores. It was a time of Camelot, with a bright future for everyone, where “It never rained until after sundown”. As the song by Simon & Garfunkel put it; “Time it was, and what a time it was, A ​ time of innocence, A time of confidences.” That innocence ended abruptly. The harsh realities of life struck us immediately after we finished high school. We had to face a situation no other generation had faced before. There was a war going on and men had to be drafted to fight that wasr. While some of our fathers overseas had letters of love and encouragement, we all had letters from The Selective Service that began with “Greetings”. The letter casually mentioned that since you had reached the age of 18 you immediately became 1A, eligible for military service. We were faced with a difficult choice; be drafted (for two years) and there was an extremely high chance of you winding up in combat. The alternative was to volunteer -- to enlist (for three years). Then you were given the choice of which field you wanted to follow and of your training you would receive. Enlistment carried two very large caveats; they were if and it was a very big IF you qualified and IF there was a position available then you could fill it, otherwise more than likely you were assigned to a job in Viet Nam. The war there was different from other wars we fought - there was no front line. Even though you might be assigned to a support unit there was always the danger of imminent attack. So the odds of you avoiding some form of combat in Viet Nam were slim and none and slim was packing his bags. The generation of the 1960’s abruptly went from Camelot to Country Joe’s anthem I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-to-Die-Rag. Even though our nation had not been attacked by a forign power. Nor had any nation declared war on us; we were politely ordered to report for a physical examination prior to joining the armed forces. Join might not quite be the correct word, it connotes a voluntary agreement. Essentially, we were asked/ordered to put the next 2+ years of our lives on hold and go fight for Uncle Sam. A few of us were “lucky” enough to escape the meatgrinder of Viet Nam by joining the National Guard. Those of us ‘fortunate sons’ who were able to attend college were able to delay our induction for 4 or 5 years. But, that was only delaying the inevitable. Sooner or later Uncle Sam called you too. Another option was ROTC, after graduation you went over there as a junior officer. That was actually a mixed blessing. You were in charge of some very brave individuals leading them in pitched battle. But, there was a high casualty rate among junior officers. Those of us fortuitous enough to be able to return home - well - let’s just say our lives were going to be much different than we had planned. There was another way of avoiding the draft. You could be identified as physically unable to perform active duty. You were classified as 4F. There were always rumours about people getting a 4F. But it was always somebody's cousin in another state that heard about somebody who knew another guy who actually got a 4F. Anyway back to Viet Nam. Needless to say, as you might be already aware, we did not return home to marching bands, ticker tape parades or in many cases not even welcoming committees. Well, there were the un-welcoming committees who hurled insults at us like we were some kind of twentieth century leper. One day you’re in the army in a foreign country, surrounded by your brothers-in-arms and the next day you're standing alone with your duffle in a civilian airport back in the states. It was an abrupt transition. This was before there was anything like PTSD. Like our fathers we didn’t speak of the war or what we did in it, but it was for vastly different reasons. So you kept your dark memories to yourself. Yes, our fathers faced almost unimaginable horrors. Probably worse than what we experienced. They liberated people from the atrocities of Socialism with their concentration camps and extermination centers and the horrors of Japanese imperialism. But, there was one very important difference. They knew for what they were fighting. It became almost a crusade. They literally saved the world. We were not afforded that luxury. We didn’t know why we were there. Just the same, we fought just like our fathers. In the end our sacrifices meant nothing. Everything, the battles, the casualties, the values, the beliefs, the people were told we were fighting for were unceremoniously, embarrassingly and shamefully abandoned. That was Viet Nam. So how did all of this happen? Mad Magazine pegged 1961 was an upside and backwards year and it couldn’t have been more correct. The biggest change in our policy toward Viet Nam occurred in 1961 with President Kennedy’s election. 1961 proved to be a busy year for the new ​ president. In January, President Kennedy joined the quagmire that was Viet Nam when he ​ approved the use of Agent Orange to defoliate the jungle. In March, Kennedy decided to send an ​ additional 100 military advisors to Viet Nam . In April he sent 1,400 Cuban exiles to invade Cuba (The Bay Of Pigs Disaster). In May, he sent 400 Green Berets to assist the MAAG ​ ​ ​ deployment. In November of 1962 President Kennedy sent an additional 11,000 more of us as ​ ​ combat troops. Later an additional 3,205 of us arrived there in December. By the end of the year there were 16,752 combat troops in Viet Nam. So, it was for those of the 1960’s. Here we were just graduating from high school and facing some terrible decisions for which we were woefully unprepared. The American commitment to Viet Nam was increasing and we were that commitment. The draft became the elephant in the room for all the graduating seniors. How could you make plans for the future? What would that future look like? Should you become involved in serious relationship with your girlfriend? What if you didn’t come back. Or perhaps you did make it back but you were not the same person you were when you left? These were questions our still young minds had to grapple with. The draft was a serious obstacle looming over everyone. Few people failed the draft. Essentially, if your trigger finger worked you passed the draft. Johnson replaced Kennedy and the size of our commitment continued to increase. By the end of 1964, there were approximately 23,000 military personnel in South Vietnam; In March 1965 Johnson approved an increase in logistical troops and the deployment of two additional Marine battalions and a Marine air squadron. So, 20,000 more of us innocents went abroad. Life on the home front became difficult for many of us. Our parents didn’t understand our reluctance to join Uncle Sam and his war. They didn’t understand the purpose of the anti-war protests. Even when we pointed out that the circumstances were radically different than those they faced. Our reluctance began to surface in the music of the times. We were different. We started to dress differently and act differently. There was definitely a gulf of misunderstanding between generations. The Democratic National Convention of 1968 brought out these divisions dramatically, violently to national television. The divisions came to a lethal head in 1970 at Kent State University when nine student protestors were wounded and four were killed by the Ohio National Guard brought in to protect University property. One of the sad ironies of the incident was that many members of the guard were as young as the protestors and had joined the guard as a way of avoiding the war in Viet Nam. By the middle of June 1965, the total U.S. ground forces in Vietnam had increased to 82,000 young men. By October there were over 200,000 of us serving as soldiers in Vietnam. Like the tide rising during a storm the numbers kept rising. In 1966, American forces in Vietnam reached 385,000 men, plus an additional 60,000 sailors stationed offshore. The beginning of 1967 saw 490,000 more troopers there. In July 1967 President Johnson agreed to an increase of 55,000 troops bringing the total to 525,000 of America’s finest young men. In 1969, Richard Nixon was elected President on a ticket that included ending the war. “Peace with Honor” was the catch phrase. He was able to finally end the long American military involvement in Viet Nam. By January 1973, the Paris Peace accords were signed officially ending American’s military commitment in Viet Nam. Even though many of our troops had left our presence there continued, however, on a diplomatic and humanitarian level. Naturally, troops needed there to guard our embassy and other interests. They remained there until 1975 when the North Viertnamese Army entered Saigon ending the war. American was further humiliated by the scenes of South Vietnamese loyal to the US being abandoned by our hasty withdrawal. Thus, 1975 finally ended the American involvement in Viet Nam. Ann involvement that began in 1945 - thirty years earlier. According to many who served in Viet Nam there was a phrase circulating that went “We the unwilling, led by the unqualified, to kill the unfortunate, die for the ungrateful”. It was based on an older phrase originally written by Konstantin Josef Jireček following the unsuccessful revolt of the Bulgarian youth in The 1876 April Uprising against their Ottoman rulers. “We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.” ― There was another sad phrase- “Will the last man out of Viet Nam please turnout the light at the end of the tunnel.

To develop a more personal understanding of the war in VietNam and the soldiers involved in our other wars, there is a book that is well worth reading. It is entitled War Letters by Andrew ​ ​ Carroll. From The Mass Deck Rhubarb Oatmeal Crumble Using the traditional ingredient of oatmeal gives this crumble a lovely crisp, nutty top. And of course, if you don't like rhubarb, you can use fruits such as apple, black currants or gooseberries instead. The quantities below will make a crumble sufficient for 4 people. Ingredients for Rhubarb: 1 pound (450g) rhubarb or other fruit 3 or 4 tablespoons of water ​ 2 oz (60g or 1/2 of a US cup) sugar A squeeze of lemon Ingredients for the Crumble: 2 oz (60g or 1/2 US cup) flour ​ 1 oz (25g or ¼ US cup) coarse oatmeal (the fresher the better) 2 oz (60g or a generous one third of a US cup) brown sugar 2 oz (60g or ½ US stick) butter or margarine Method: Cook the fruit with the sugar, water and lemon juice until it is soft but not ​ mushy.Place in a deep pie dish. Mix together the ingredients for the crumble in the order given above. Warm the butter or margarine until it is soft (but not oily) before adding in. Once the crumble has been well mixed, sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400F/200C for 20 minutes in the hottest part of the oven (near the top) or until the crumble is brown and crunchy. Skirlie Take oatmeal, suet, onion, salt and pepper. Chop two ounces of suet finely. Heat a pan very hot and put in the suet. When it is melted add one or two finely chopped onions and brown them well. Now add enough oatmeal ( about four ounces ) to absorb the fat - a fairly thick mixture. Season to taste. Stir well till thoroughly cooked ( a few minutes ). Serve with potatoes.

Oatmeal Dressing for Turkey Ingredients: 4 - 5 cups oatmeal (I use quick oatmeal, but also have used flaked. Do not use ​ instant oatmeal.) 1 large or 2 med. onions 1/2 lb. butter or marg. (not diet marg) approx. 2 Tablespoons Poultry Seasoning approx. 1 Teaspoon salt 1 tsp pepper. Method: Saute the onions in the butter until onions have softened slightly. While the onions are cooking, add the seasoning , salt and pepper to the oatmeal and combine well: Do not add sage, or other spices. Add the sautéed onions and butter to the oatmeal mixture. Stuff it into both ends of the tu and seal up as tightly as possible. When the turkey is cooked, remove dressing and enjoy! HINT: Cook your turkey with the breast side down. The juices from the more fatty thighs will seep down into the turkey breast, and will make it very moist instead of dry.

For those of you who have never heard of this, try it, you may love it. It's delicious served when the turkey is first cooked, but it's out of this world delicious in a turkey sandwich with a little cranberry. The only problem with this is that you have to sneak a bit into a little bowl and hide it in the back of your fridge if you want some for the next day. I guarantee there'll be none left from the main meal.

Scottish Oatcakes Ingredients: 8 oz Fine (Pinhead) Oatmeal 1/2 ts Bicarbonate of Soda Pinch of Salt ​ 2 tb Bacon fat or Melted Butter 1/4 pt Hot Water Extra Oatmeal for rolling 75g (6oz) blue cheese Method: To test the correct heat of the gridle sprinkle it with a little flour. If the flour browns at ​ once it is too hot; it should take a few seconds to turn colour.

Set the oven to 375F/Gas 5 or heat a griddle or heavy frying-pan. Mix the oatmeal, the bicarbonate of soda and salt together in a bowl. Add the melted fat and the hot water. Stir well until it makes a soft paste. Sprinkle some oatmeal on a board. From the dough into a round and roll it out as thinly as possible, adding oatmeal to the surface as necessary, to prevent sticking. Brush off the excess oatmeal. Cut the dough into 4 or 6 pieces.

To oven bake; place on a large ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes. To gridle bake; bake on a hot griddle or frying-pan until the edges begin to curl. Turn over and cook the other side. Do not let the oatcakes brown; they should be a pale fawn colour. Put on a wire rack to cool. They are delicious served with cheese Scottish Oatcakes with blue cheese, walnuts and watercress. Serving Size 6 ​

Scottish Oatcake with blue cheese, walnuts and watercress Ingredients: 50g (2oz) walnut pieces​ ​ 25g (1oz) watercress, large stalks removed ​ A few drops of virgin olive oil Maldon(sea) salt and freshly ground black pepper Method: break the cheese into small crumbly pieces and divide it between the oatcakes, with the ​ walnut pieces. Toss the watercress leaves with a little oil and a little seasoning. Arrange the oatcakes on a baking tray and slide them under a hot grill for about 1 minute until the cheese just begins to melt. Quickly transfer them to serving plates, pile the watercress on top and serve.

Scottish Oat Scones Ingredients: 1 1/2 c uncooked old-fashioned oats 1 1/2 c flour 1/2 craisins or currants ​ 2 tsp sugar 1 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cream of tartar 1 stick margarine, melted 1/3 c milk 1 egg, beaten Method: Mix together all dry ingredients. Mix together wet ingredients then add to the dry. Mix ​ with a fork just until moistened (do not overmix). Form into a ball and then flatten on a greased cookie sheet into a circle about 8" across. Cut into 8 or 12 wedges. Bake 12-15 minutes at 425F. Cool on a rack. These freeze well in a plastic bag and can be reheated in the microwave. Wrap each one in a paper towel and zap for about 30 seconds.

​ Hogmanay Brose Ingredients: 8oz. (250g) fine oatmeal 8oz. (250g) clear runny honey ​ 1 cup cold water 1 litre (2 pints) whisky Method: Stir together oatmeal, honey and water. (Honey comes off the spoon easily if you dip ​ the spoon in boiling water first.) Slowly add the whisky and whisk the mixture until it froths. Pour into a bottle and cork it tightly. The Brose will be ready for drinking after a couple of days. The Scottish Banner ​

Scottish Crackers This section features humorous contributions. If you told a joke at the last meeting and wish to share it or you have a humorous anecdote please send it in.

A Wee Word O‘ Scottish Wisdom One for sorrow, two for joy, Three for a girl, four for a boy. Five for silver, six for gold, And seven for a secret that must never be told. Scottish Humor How I got rid of my extra bottles of whisky I had eighteen bottles of whisky in my cellar and was told by my wife to empty the contents of each and every bottle down the sink. Or else...... I said I would and proceeded with the unpleasant task. I withdrew the cork from the first bottle and poured the contents down the sink, with the exception of one glass which I drank. I extracted the cork from the second bottle and did likewise with it, with the exception of one glass, which I drank. I then withdrew the cork from the third bottle, and poured the whisky down the sink, which I drank. I pulled the cork from the fourth bottle down the sink, and poured the bottle down the glass, which I drank. I pulled the bottle from the cork of the next and drank one sink out of it, and threw the rest down the glass, which I drank. I pulled the sink out of the next glass, bottled the drink and poured the cork down the bottle. Then I corked the sink with the glass, bottled the drink and drank the pour. When I had everything emptied, I steadied the house with one hand, counted the glasses, corks, bottles and sinks with the other, which were 29, as the house came by I counted them again, and finally had all the houses in one bottle, which I drank. I’m not under the afluence of incohol, as some tinkle peep I am. I’m not half as thunk as you might drink. I fool so feelish I don’t know who is me, and the drunker I stand here the longer I get Attributed to Bob Hope

Anyone wishing to contribute an article, news, a joke or humorous ​ anecdote or other contributions, news, suggestions for articles or genteel comments can send them to: [email protected] ​

nd Do a BUDDY CHECK on the 22 o​ f Every Month. ​