Malta Moments: Your Monthly Slice of Island Life

Here we go with the first of the monthly newsletters. I haven’t yet decided on the exact format that it will take, and although I have made it a longer read than what you were used to, I’m hoping that with more ‘topics’, you will find something that is of interest to you. I’m also going to try and think of some interesting titles for each month.

Please let me know whether you think that there is now too much to read, too many topics, or it’s just right. Unless I know what you think, then I will just assume that you are happy.

Recycling

Malta has recently introduced a recycling scheme called BCRS, which stands for Beverage Container Refund Scheme, and is an incentive for customers to return certain drink containers by charging them a refundable deposit of 10 cents on the sale of those drinks.

The machines accept several types of plastic, metal and glass bottles, including still, sparkling and flavoured water, soft drinks, beers and ciders. Wines, spirits, juices and milk cartons are not accepted.

The label must be on the bottle as the machine scans the bar code and checks it against a database of bottles that have entered the Maltese market. This is intended to safeguard against abuse, such as people placing bottle shaped items into the machines.

A bottle recycling machine

The machines also check the shape of the bottle, and although a few dents are acceptable, it will reject crushed bottles because it won’t be able to read the bar code. Although not mandatory, it is advised to keep the cap on the bottle when depositing it.

Once the machine has accepted the bottle, it gives two options. to either keep the 10 cents voucher or donate it to charity.

Bottles can be deposited individually or in bulk, so depositing 20 bottles at once, you will receive a voucher for €2. If you decide to keep the money, the voucher can be redeemed when shopping at a supermarket, grocery or retail outlet that sells the acceptable beverages, and the discount will be marked on the receipt. Although the voucher cannot be exchanged for cash, it can be redeemed against any purchased items, and not just beverages.

I may be proved wrong in the long term, but I’m really not sure that this will be a popular thing, because to make it worthwhile, you have to be prepared to travel to a machine which is another cost for petrol if driving, and how many bottles justify the trip?

Advertising

I sometimes wonder how advertising people justify the exorbitant fees that they charge companies for the use of their ‘skills’, as it seems to me that they don’t always get things right when they come up with what they think is a ‘witty’ slogan. Recently in my local supermarket, I spotted this on the shelf.

It doesn’t even make any sense, yet the powers that be at Colman’s clearly thought it was brilliant, but I would like to know how long apple sauce has been grown in Britain? I can guarantee that if you or I had come up with that slogan, it would have been rejected. And speaking about products, here is another that I recently saw. I thought that it was only port and cheese that gave you gout, not chocolate.

Now that I have started to notice these sorts of products on the shop shelves, I have been been taking pictures of them and now and again, I will be letting you see some of the strange and amusing names of some of the ‘foreign’ goods in Malta.

Politeness

Generally, this still seems to be alive and well in Malta, apart from the behaviour of one particular man on a crowded bus recently. He was with a woman who I assumed was his partner/friend/wife/lover etc, and they were probably in their mid to late 20’s, and not locals. The man suggested to his (see previous description), that they should offer their seats to other passengers that were having to stand, so she very politely got up and offered her seat to someone else, who accepted the kind gesture, but the man just continued sitting in his seat, leaving his (see previous description) to stand.

Weather

I am writing this in the last week of May and have to say that in the almost 3 years that I have been living here, I have not known the weather to be so unpredictable for this time of the year. It isn’t cold, but there have been a lot of windy and overcast days during the month and I feel sorry for the tourists who have come here to experience the beautiful Spring weather that Malta likes to promote. I have however, packed away my duvet until the end of October, as the nights are starting to warm up, so just a top sheet is sufficient for sleeping.

I try to keep in touch with the European weather on the television, and I have noticed that currently (1st June), there is a North/South divide in Europe, and it seems that if you are in the northern part of Europe, you are doing okay at the moment, so I hope that you enjoy it. Meteorologists in Malta have said that this year, the country is a month behind the norm and that they expect the Maltese summer to really start next week and it will probably last until the end of November and into December. Watch this space.

Cheese Making

Cheese making in Malta is a time honoured craft that has been passed down from generation to generation for centuries. The country's warm climate, fertile soils, and centuries old agricultural traditions have all combined to create a unique cheese making culture that is unlike anything else in the world.

At the heart of Malta's cheese making tradition is Gbejna, pronounced as Jer-baina, which is a small round cheese made from either sheep or goat milk. Gbejna is a versatile cheese that can be enjoyed on its own or used in a variety of dishes, such as salads, pasta dishes, and even pies.

The process of making Gbejna is a labour intensive one that requires a great deal of skill and patience. First, the milk is heated to a specific temperature and then rennet is added to curdle the milk. The curds are then drained in cheesecloth, shaped into small rounds, and either left to air-dry or soaked in brine.

There are several different varieties of Gbejna, each with its own unique flavour and texture, such as fresh, sundried, salt cured, or peppered. The fresh variety have a smooth texture and a milky flavour and are kept in their own whey in a similar manner to mozzarella.

National Holiday

Sette Giugno, which in Italian means 7th of June, is also known as the Sette Giugno Uprising, and is a significant event in Maltese history that is commemorated annually on the 7th of June. It is a national holiday in Malta and holds great cultural and historical significance for the Maltese people.

Sette Giugno refers to the events that took place on the 7th of June 1919, when a series of riots erupted in Valletta, the capital city of Malta, as a result of social and political tensions. At the time, Malta was under British colonial rule, and the Maltese population faced various grievances, including economic hardships and limited political representation.

The immediate trigger for the uprising was the shooting of four unarmed Maltese protesters by British soldiers during a demonstration demanding political reforms and the release of political detainees. The tragic incident fueled public anger and led to widespread unrest.

During the riots, which lasted for several days, demonstrators clashed with British authorities and targeted government buildings, including the Governor's Palace. The unrest resulted in casualties and extensive damage to property. The events of Sette Giugno marked a turning point in the political history of Malta and played a role in shaping the island's journey towards self-governance.

The uprising highlighted the demands of the Maltese people for greater autonomy and political rights. It increased the pressure on the British government to address these concerns, eventually leading to constitutional reforms and the granting of self government to Malta in 1921.

To commemorate the Sette Giugno Uprising, various activities and events take place on the 7th of June each year. These include official ceremonies, wreath-laying at memorials, cultural performances, exhibitions, and educational programs that aim to raise awareness about the historical significance of the event.