What did a kilt cost in 1960, 1970, 1980 etc?

[Nanook]

There were aficionados who claimed to be able to tell from the taste and aroma which newspaper they were wrapped in!

Could tell without even tasting.

As to toxicity I expect that there were no medical surveys made about exposure to the long term effects

Actually there are studies.

and whether or not there was an immunity build up.

With toxins there is no "immunity"--- on the contrary triggers that create more problems over time (hypersensitivity and allergy).

Some hygiene regulations have tended to over sanitise and decrease the natural immunity that people used to have.

However filthy some of those newspapers were they were often cleaner than many of the food shops I've seen. Did people get sick? You bet! Do people today get sick from lapses in fast food hygiene? All the time. Salmonella and other bacterial poisioning via food are on the rise. Filth may be fine for the cockroaches but they are more adaptable than humans and can survive for a few weeks after having their heads chopped off.

Lard fried fish and chips wrapped in old newspapers was from a time when people simply did not know better.

(the decline, however, of fish and chips has to do with the economy of fast food branding, advertising and the strong increase in the price of fish)

[Phil]

The backside of this figure is the sobering thought that if all good quality kilts in fact DID cost $1,200....

then I for one wouldn't own one

and

the overwhelming majority of people on this board wouldn't own one. So let's be glad that they don't. All of a sudden a $400 - $450 kilt from Barb or Matt or Kathy Lare starts sounding a whole lot better.

BTW, Hamish's Kollection would be worth something like $100,000. *lol*

Let's face it, Alan, there aren't any pockets in a shroud. I realised that a while back and if I wasn't going to get the pleasure from the money, somebody else sure as hell would. This life isn't just a rehearsal so make the most of it because you can be sure if you don't someone else will even if they just p**s it up against the wall.

[MacMillan of Rathdown]

Let's face it, Alan, there aren't any pockets in a shroud. I realised that a while back and if I wasn't going to get the pleasure from the money, somebody else sure as hell would. This life isn't just a rehearsal so make the most of it because you can be sure if you don't someone else will even if they just p**s it up against the wall.

Absolutely bang on message! If all you do is save for that rainy day, the only thing you can count is that they'll be passing out free umbrellas at your funeral.

[Dukeof Kircaldy]

Oh the heady days of 1970 - my wage was ten pounds a week, the rent was four pounds a week, and I ran a BSA 650 cc motorcycle combination and could fill the tank for under one pound.

I do look back fondly on the fish and chips which we had when I was young - the fish was landed fresh each day except Sunday - so the fish and chip shops were usually closed on Mondays because they did not use fish over one day dead. The potatoes were poured into devices which peeled them and then sliced them into chips or scollups - disks of potato, which were then dipped in batter and fried.

The fish chips etc were cooked and then put into heated holding areas to drain, so they really were not greasy when done properly. These days the oil cooked ones are far greasier, particulalry when cooked to order, as they have no draining time.

It is no wonder that I found no way to make and sell kilts - all the economics are against me!!

And my allowance was 10 bob (50p), which actually went a long way.

Anyway, This brings back memories.

My first kilt cost £350 and was a full 8 yarder bought in 1985, that still fits (sort of).

The one I just bought cost £190 and is also a full 8 yard 18 oz. Why so cheap? The fabric is military surplus Forbes from the Liverpool Scottish and made bespoke by the same person who made the kilts for the Scouses!

[Nervous Jock]

My Black Watch kilt which was handmade in 1989 by Hector Russell cost £230. Had it on to Cardiff last week and it'll be going to Dublin & Rome in the next 4 weeks too

[McClef]

Lard fried fish and chips wrapped in old newspapers was from a time when people simply did not know better.

I don't want to cover all the points because it's hijacking the thread but the best thing to fry fish and chips in is not lard but beef dripping.

A lot of things are common sense but we live in a society that thinks that much of what was done in the past was wrong and that we know better - portion control and packaging has triumphed.

My Hector Russell Robertson Ancient Hunting was cheaper than Nervous Jock's at £170 2 years ago but I suspect it wasn't hand made. However my Muted Nicholson 9 yard at £240 last year most certainly was so shows that shopping around these days can make at least a 10 year comparison possible!

[Alan H]

Let's face it, Alan, there aren't any pockets in a shroud. I realised that a while back and if I wasn't going to get the pleasure from the money, somebody else sure as hell would. This life isn't just a rehearsal so make the most of it because you can be sure if you don't someone else will even if they just p**s it up against the wall.

I tend to think like this. Fortunately for me, the Cloaked in Midnight Joan does not. Because of her planning we will now enjoy a reasonably well-off retirement barring economic collapse of the Western World. We have no children to count on when we get old. Nobody is going to keep an eye on us when our health starts to go. And so it behooves us to save thoughtfully for the future.

Does that mean I can't have any fun now? Hardly. I own nine kilts. I made four of them. That was fun! I have a sailboat, and believe me that costs money. I'm going to sail that boat, solo to Hawaii. That trip is going to cost me something on the order of twelve thousand dollars. $12,000. But do I have to have the newest set of racing sails, every year? No. It's just a matter of priorities, sensibility and limits, and each person sets their own.

[Barry]

the best thing to fry fish and chips in is not lard but beef dripping.

Absolutely agree. Not only those but bacon fried in beef dripping makes THE best bacon butties. For roast potatoes dripping is ace but is just tipped by goose fat


Back on topic - investing in a good kilt is way worthwhile but beware the expanding waist in middle age. D'oh!

[Phil]

Absolutely agree. Not only those but bacon fried in beef dripping makes THE best bacon butties. For roast potatoes dripping is ace but is just tipped by goose fat


Back on topic - investing in a good kilt is way worthwhile but beware the expanding waist in middle age. D'oh!

Anyone ever had stovies made with beef dripping? Beats the corned beef variety by a mile. Sadly the recipe died with my mother-in-law.

[Alan H]

*bump*

Just 'cause I enjoyed both the kilt discussion and the fish and chips discussion but the kingpin of them all was the image of Pleater as a young lass, rebuilding a BSA "A" in her dining room!