I'm moving to Edinburgh from San Diego (where I've always lived) for a year to attend the university. Two questions, which are minor but have been weighing heavily on my mind:

1. What is the weather like in September? Since I own no cold weather clothes, I'm planning on buying almost everything there. But will warm-ish California clothes be ok for the first month I'm there so long as I have a good coat?

2. I LOVE Mexican food, and will go crazy without it. I read another post mentioning Gringo Bill's- is that good? Are there any restaurants in Edinburgh with authentic mexican food? Do grocery stores carry enchilada sauce/tortillas/mexican seasonings, or will i need to have it shipped to me?

Thanks a ton, this site is amazing.

p.s.- I'm planning on experiencing and enjoying the local food and culture; however, everyone gets homesick after awhile!

Welcome to Flyertalk
Sept. is cool, not freezing but cool, sometimes very cool. You may want to bring clothes from the US as you will find some things are very expensive in Scotland especially given the bad exchange rate. Sweaters (wool) can be found reasonbly though.
Regarding restaurants, Gringo Bill's is fairly good except you will find french fries served with all the dishes. You probably won't find authentic Mexican food in Scotland, but try other types including Indian. You should enjoy your experience, just don't compare it to California. Make sure you go to the Jekyll/Hyde pub, near Gringo Bill's and see if you can find the restroom.

Hmm, the best Mexican I'm aware of in Edinburgh is Viva Mexico (41 Cockburn (pronounced Coburn) St). Not having eaten Mexican in the US (except at Taco Bells) I don't know how authentic it was - but I enjoyed it greatly. Definitely no chips.

You will be able to buy most of the makings for Mexican food here as well - I regularly buy tortillas, there are various other gubbings available (I tend to make sauces from scratch, so not too sure of what other ready made things are available). It's hard to find cactus over here though.....

September -expect cool, probably wet. But Indian summers do occur - British weather is never predictable.

Hope you enjoy your time there, I graduated from Edinburgh University a few years ago now...

fierce_kali,

Just to set you straight, chips are what they call french fries in the UK. They may well have chips and salsa there.

I'd also recommend Pancho Villas and the Haw House (both very convenient for the UoE). To get a fairly comprehensive eating and drinking guide for Edinburgh, visit http://www.list.co.uk/ead/fr1.htm

Edinburgh is a wonderful city - I graduated from the UoE almost four years ago, but still get back on a regular basis. If you have any other questions, feel free to PM me!

Thought I'd start introducing him to the local language

Word of advice - just say no to the offer of salt and sauce on your chips - but say it very quickly or you'll get it anyway.....

(Explanation: in UK fish and chip shops you automatically get offered salt and vinegar. In Edinburgh for some bizarre reason you get offered salt and sauce instead, where "sauce"=bizarre mixture of brown sauce and vinegar. You can still ask for salt and vineger (absolutely required on chip shop chips )

At the moment the exchange rate is a killer. As temping as it might be to buy warmer clothes once you arrive in Edinburgh, I would take what you can from the States. I know San Diego is not the best place to buy winter clothing, but almost everything will be much cheaper to buy before you leave. We just finished our 10th trip to England and Scotland and for the first time ever bought nothing to bring back except for one nice wool sweater my wife found for a reasonable price. At $1.89 to the pound, there was nothing (as far as clothing) that could not be bought for less in the U.S.

Ceud mille failte to Scotland and congratulations on choosing Edinburgh; you'll have a great time here. Drop me a line if there's anything I can do for you when you arrive. (There's quite a few FTers based here or with extensive knowledge of the city, so you're in good company).

The food isn't so good at Gringo Bill's these days...not least because it closed more than a year ago. It has been replaced by the Tijuana Yacht Club (110 Hanover Street, 0131 220 1208) but the new place has an even better reputation for great Mexican food with a little humour. It's been a while since I was there; we did pitch for a meal there during an EDI do last year, but SanDiego1K made it clear that she hadn't travelled 5,500 miles from Southern California just to visit a Mexican restaurant And who was I to disagree, especially since she had schlepped several kilos worth of margarita mix over with her as a gift for me? A little closer to the university area, Pancho Villas also does good food and has lots of student specials if you're on a budget. Further away, in affluent Stockbridge, The Blue Parrot Cantina (49 St Stephen Street 0131 225 2941) gets some good reviews, mainly for its excellent drinks. I think the Haw House has also closed, but I could be wrong.

What are you here to study? I take it you have seen the Edinburgh info thread? Best post any further questions there.

Oh, and don't worry about trying to predict the weather. You can't

Alastair

I moved to EDI 12 years ago - best thing I ever did. But even now I can't stand "sauce" - it really is like putting runny poo on your chips.

There is a great "chain" mexican near where I live - CHiquito at Fort Kinnaird shopping centre - great massive servings - great fajitas - great iced margaritas.

Welcome to the best city in the world........... ^

Great! Thank you all so much for posting, I really appreciate your input! I'm looking forward to going to Edinburgh.

Don't get your hopes up. Something happens to tortillas y frijoles when they reach a European kitchen. You may have to try, dare I say it? Taco Bell.

Peanut butter might be another problem. Most of Europe seems to have been raised on Nutella and I think you have to be acclimated in the womb.

As someone mentioned, the exchange rate is not to your advantage, so you can't afford to eat anyway

Remember all sweaters are not created equal. Do not even think about taking the cotton sweaters we San Diegans think of as winterwear. Nordstrom has a 100% wool fine knit men's crew neck sweater for about $60. Select black. Goes under/with absolutely everything. Gets moth holes too, so you know it's real wool!

Do have a great year, keep us posted on what you discover! An occasional trip report from the American Abroad would be wonderful.

You won't find Albertos or Rubios in Scotland, that is for sure

Taco Bell may be as authentic as it gets

you won't be disappointed about the quantity or quality of latin american fare (especially if you're on a student income!). but a word of caution as regards "authentic mexican"... i suspect you mean the mexican cuisine you are familiar with in California. True authentic mexican cuisine in Mexico varies greatly from Mexico City, DF to Monterrey,NL to Villahermosa,TB to the resorts. for example, i've found that there is a dish of Mexican Haggis, called machitos, served in Monterrey, NL, which i've yet to see in Scotland, home of the other Haggis!!! Mexican's don't think of US Mexican food as mexican food, but as Tex-Mex.

enjoy your stay in Edinburgh - i think you will find the experience one to treasure, and like the other FT'ers here, simply PM us if you need help.

Peanut butter is widely available in all supermarkets and most corner shops as well.. you can also buy fairly traded stuff in healthfood shops.. take your pick of smooth, crunchy or reduced fat in the above...

(Nutella is a very German thing, not so much a UK think - we probably eat more peanut butter, but prefer jam (jelly) to both of those.....)

Thanks for the information. I was basing my peanut butter info on Milan and the Nutella on a Scottish friend who couldn't live without the stuff. We even ran across an all-Nutella restaurant in Milan. Fortunately closed at that time of night.

I'll remember to not generalize and extrapolate.