Chewing the CHOGM

I tried to stay out of CHOGM as far as possible. My interest starts and ends with each journalistic piece I have to churn out on the subject. I had a difficult decision to make but I could not help it. After some thinking I found the escape hatch: a piece inspired by CHOGM but not about CHOGM.

I am a confessed supporter of English football and Manchester United, yet I did not brave the weather to wave to Queen Elizabeth. I think Italian food is the best in the world, yet nothing will take the place of the ‘hobz biz-zejt, bicca gbejna u bigilla’ (bread with tomato paste, a cheeselet and bean pate’) I have for a snack. My favourite music is by Vangelis, Sting and Pink Floyd, yet I think there’s place for a song in Maltese in the Eurovision. My family tree goes back to Ireland, but my grandfather, a veteran officer in the Royal Navy who served during World War II, was an ardent Mintoffian.

What does this have to do with CHOGM? It simply leads to one question: with all those head of states coming to Malta, what makes me Maltese and different from the peoples of rest of the former British colonies?

The answer, or an attempt at it, is a guest entry in Wired Temples. Thanks to Robert Micallef for providing valuable space in his much sought-after blog.