Christmas traditions

[Ck]

The mark up is shocking.

Do the Maltese people earn a proportional amount more than Brits or is it expensive to them too?

[A_B]

The mark up is shocking.

Do the Maltese people earn a proportional amount more than Brits or is it expensive to them too?

No, that's the thing, it's very low paid here. Foreigners usually earn massively more, so it makes the average wage higher. In reality it's just a few very high earners pushing it up and not the real normal wage, there's a lot of igaming companies here that Maltese people wouldn't work in, plus a lot of very rich Russians. Malta sells their citizenships, obviously people buy them to get EU citizenship so people with a lot of money live here, at least on and off. They're all based in the centre where we are, so prices here are high.

I think the average wage is something like €18000 (£15000), but not many people actually earn that. I think people just don't have things, food isn't expensive if you buy Maltese. I've heard of crap floating about in Malta made pasta and stuff and the meat tastes raw, so I won't buy it. Eggs just don't taste like eggs either, so I won't even eat the eggs from Malta. When you cook them the yolk seems to harden instantly, I just don't get how they can be so different. I check everything, I won't buy Maltese so we have to pay the higher price.

All the shops and money are in the centre, the south doesn't have much at all, if they want stuff they have to travel here to the centre. A lot of people still live the simple life down there, they have nothing and do nothing but sit outside their door watching the world go by. Rents down their are low, here you pay at least double.

[Ck]

Gosh, there's a proper divide of wealth then.

I'm wondering what they do to their eggs

[A_B]

Me too.

We do eat Maltese bread, it's the best bread ever, a lot better than even French bread. Their food hygiene isn't the same though, so I'm particular about where I buy it from. There's very few shops I'll buy 'home made' stuff from, some use gloves and are very clean, but most don't bother with stuff like that.

There's a new supermarket opened and it's lovely, we've always shopped at it but it's moved into a purpose built building now and got a lot more produce. It's a proper big one, probably the biggest on the island now, with everything you'd need. It's got a massive butchers area, fresh cheese, the lot, but I won't buy from them because of the lack of gloves. I only buy pre-packaged cheese that's been done outside of Malta, it's a massive difference from what we're used to after living in France.

[Earl]

Looking forward to these on Christmas morning. Jam with champagne, marmalade with champagne, and marmalade with ginger and whisky.

[A_B]

Those look delicious.

[A_B]

After watching Elf on Friday night, my daughter is convinced my son has been put on the naughty list. I'm not sure if she knows about him drinking whisky at college, or whether she feels he should just be put on it so she gets more presents, but she doesn't want him off it.

[Ck]

haha bless. What does your son think of being on the naughty list?

[A_B]

haha bless. What does your son think of being on the naughty list?

Last night, while she was having a cuddle just before bed, I was telling her it wouldn't be nice for him to get nothing. In the end she decided it would be okay for him to get some presents, maybe just four though. She said even kids on the naughty list get some presents, but they're usually just rubbish ones and not fun ones like she'll get. He overheard her so popped his head around the door and said, 'I think I must've been on the naughty list last year as well then if that's the case'.

We never got them anything last year, all their presents came from the in-laws at their house, so I'm not to blame for his presents.

[Ck]

I hope Santa thinks i've been good, i'd like some fun pressies too

I've been given a pressy already off my friend from work, Ross. He's got one for me and also there's one labelled to Earl and Spud, i'm dying to see what that might be