The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Ex-US President urged to get a taste of Arbroath
Student bids to tempt Obama to visit Angus town with history and smokies
Barack Obama has been urged to visit Tayside and tuck into the Arbroath’s world-famous smokies.
Edinburgh University student and Red Lichtie Hunor Deak, 19, has written to the 44th President of the United States ahead of his visit to Scotland next month.
The Democrat, who served eight years in the White House, will address business leaders in Edinburgh on May 26 which will be one of his first major speeches since his term as President came to an end.
First year geology student Hunor, who is originally from Transylvania, Romania, moved to Arbroath six years ago and fell in love with the town before relocating to Edinburgh to study.
He grew up in Romania reading Sir Walter Scott’s novels which immortalised the nearby fishing village of Auchmithie from where the original ‘Arbroath Smokie’ hails.
The former Arbroath High School pupil, whose family still stay in the coastal town, believes the ex-President would develop a similar love affair if he decides to visit.
“I travelled Scotland quite extensively from the geological wonders of the Isle of Skye to the multicultural streets of Edinburgh but I couldn’t find any place similar to Arbroath,” he said.
“Arbroath is a brilliant mixture of geology, history, cuisine and beautiful beaches and provides something for everybody. Arbroath is a treasure trove of history.
“It contains buildings and museums showcasing the entire history of Scotland.
“St Vigeans offers us a window to the ancient past of Scotland when the Picts roamed the land. Arbroath Abbey tells a tale of Scotland as a free nation.
“It is pleasant to know that the US Constitution can be traced back to Arbroath to a time when a giant cathedral dominated the landscape.”
In his letter, Hunor said he believes Mr Obama, “as a constitutional scholar”, would be interested in the abbey where the document was written.
It reads: “I hope you will have the time to visit Arbroath, appreciate the old harbour, taste some Arbroath Smokies and see the old abbey.”
Angus MP Mike Weir said the town was indeed fit for a President.
He said: “As someone who was born and bred in the town, I am sure President Obama would thoroughly enjoy a visit to Arbroath.
“A visit to the abbey would put him in mind of the influence that our Declaration of Independence signed in 1320 had on the later American Declaration of Independence, and thoughts of the many Scots who have influenced American history.
“Indeed he might like to know more about the Buick family, who became synonymous with the American car industry, and other engineering and oil-related businesses.”