Shahida Ali

MP: And so when your dad came over, did he know that he was going to be a travelling salesperson?

SA: No, no. It was just when he came over. I think other...there was other pedlars, so they said, 'Okay, you start off like this as well.' They helped each other. You know, it was...I think it was a different kind of way of living. I think now there's more greed. Whereas then, they just wanted to see everybody get on, everybody to do better. Yeah.

MP: And so, the other pedlars that existed here that helped each other, were they...did he know them? Were they also from the same area?

SA: There was...yes, there was two from the same area, but they were already here so they helped him as well. Yeah.

MP: And the...where would they get the...is it clothes, textiles?

SA: It was clothes. There was one Asian man that was here before mum and dad, so he was bringing stuff over here, importing stuff from elsewhere. So, he had his own warehouse here. So, he was the one that lent them the clothes or whatever there was. He was...the women all wanted clothes and tights. It was cardigans, mainly cardigans and tights, that's what the women wanted, so that's what he would take over to sell, yeah, on borrowed money. Even when he came here, it was on borrowed money, and they paid them back. But then my dad helped so many other people to come over as well. Because when he used to have enough money, if anybody in the village, or he knew that wanted to come over, he would lend them money to come over. And, you know, he knew that he would get paid. He was just so helpful. Everybody was just so helpful in those times. I think everybody knew how hard it was. Like, yeah.

MP: And what...did he ever tell you what it was like to travel to these remote areas and knock on someone's door?

SA: Yes. He said they used to be so happy. Like, you know, and they would invite them in, and they'd offer them tea and biscuits. And it was…everybody was just so joyful, happy to see them, you know? And it's not like now, you're a stranger, you would never ever let a stranger in your home. And at one point he said that some people would even let him stay overnight if the ferry was off or it was...the weather was too bad. He was offered, like, to stay in people's houses. Because that's why I used to say, 'Dad, how did you ever manage to stay in hotels and make money from a suitcase?' you know? But he says that's what it was like, because people would say, 'Okay, you can stay over in our house.' You know, he would stay overnight in strangers' houses.

MP: And so, do you think they were happy to see him because he had the suitcase full of the things that they needed, or just because he was someone new, and they were interested?

SA: I think it was something new as well. I think probably they had never seen an Asian person before, and, yeah, they were just maybe interested in him too. And my dad, he always dressed so well. He was shirt, tie, suit, his hat. He always well-dressed. He was very dapper, as we call it. Yeah.

MP: And why was that?

SA: I think it was when he used to see other people dressed like that, but he always wanted to be like that. All...I remember him polishing his shoes all the time, you know, making sure his shirt was ironed properly, and a matching tie. You know, I've still got pictures on, but that...but all the pictures are with him with a suit on. Yeah, in his later life...even at work, when he had his grocery shop, even then it was a shirt and tie and an overall to work in a shop. Yeah...

MP: And...

SA: It was different times.

MP: And so, did...when he went out to these more remote areas that you mentioned where he would sell his goods, did he go with someone else, or did he always...?

SA: On his own.

MP: Operate alone?

SA: On his own. Yeah.

MP: Did he ever say what that was like?

SA: No, he never said what it was like. Sometimes my brother, when he was older, he would go with them. And my brother said that he had his own wee suitcase, so he'd put things in his own wee suitcase to like copy my dad. So he would have his wee suitcase, and Dad would have his. And he said their suitcases would be tied to the back of the bike. And my brother used to sit in front of my dad, while my dad pedalled. Yeah. It must have been really nice. And he goes, 'It was really nice to see the sea', you know? And even for my dad, he was...he loved the sea, open air. Like, in the villages, it's...you know, it was nothing like that. It was very dry, you know yourself, in Pakistan, it's very dry.

MP: And so, when he knocked on those doors, what would happen after that?

SA: He used to get called in. And sometimes one neighbour would go round telling the other neighbour to come, because my dad was in this house. So all these women would come to this one house, and Dad would open up his suitcase, and, yeah, they was just real excited. And if they wanted something that my dad didn't have, he would order it and get it for them next stop in his next visit.

MP: And how often would he visit like one place?

SA: I think it wasn't the same place every day, it was...he had different days to go to different places. I think he said it was about every two weeks, he went back to the same place.

MP: Okay.

SA: So...

MP: So reasonably often?

SA: Yes, reasonably often, yeah.

MP: And what...I mean, how did he feel about being a man, an Asian man, in a room full of women selling female clothes, like tights and things like that? You know, there's a cultural difference, isn't there?

SA: Yeah. I think he felt really humble and welcomed, you know? And he never ever thought...there was no racism then. He goes, 'Everybody was just so nice.' Yeah. And you know yourself, it was just after the Second World War, and they needed men here, you know, because a lot of men had died during the war. And I think they were happy to have Asians here, you know, to help build up Britain again, you know? And they brought a lot too with them as well when they started working here. And you know, it must have helped.

SA: Eid, we always go to my sister's house, because she's the elder now. Because normally it would have been like Mum's house, Mum and Dad's house, we would all get together there. But now it's my sister's home, so we all kind of get together there. I make Eid food. I make it at my home too, but we go there as well. I go visiting my aunts, and I go to my sister's. And sometimes my daughter invites us over, so we go to my daughter's house with her extended family, so we all do Eid there. We're all together on Eid, yeah, as a family, as an extended family as well then. That's where you get to meet everyone, and nice...you just eat all day.

MP: And is...I suppose it's the time of year you look forward to?

SA: Yes, we do. The children especially as well. So, they get two lots of presents, they get presents at Christmas time, and they get presents at Eid. It's like us, we...I had to wait till Eid or my birthday. And what I remember is, when we used to have to go to school, this was even in primary school, they used to ask you, 'What did you do at Christmas time?' And I used to have to write to say, we don't celebrate Christmas, but we do Eid. And I would start writing about what I did on Eid. And I didn't want my children to feel left out with Christmas, so I gave them Christmas presents. Because I kind of felt left out when I was at school, because everybody was talking about Christmas and what they got. I suppose, at that time, my parents couldn't afford two lots of presents. And even then, Christmas, they would say, 'Oh, it's not our Christmas', and I would just say, 'Okay'. You know, I would believe it, it's not our Christmas, and that was it. But when you went to school, you felt left out. So my children all got Christmas presents. So, we've done that for my grandchildren too, even though they know it's not Christmas, but they still get presents.

MP: And so, when you started that tradition with your children, was it presents? Was it a tree? Was it the meal? Or was it just one part of it?

SA: No, we do presents as well, and I make a Christmas dinner. Because we do...we don't open the shop on Christmas either. Any public holiday, we take. So, public holidays, we're home. Christmas, we're all home. So, we do…we get...I put a Christmas tree up as well for the...first I did it for my children, now it's for my grandchildren. And they all get presents. I've stopped it with my children, I go, 'You're old enough, you're not getting any presents, it's grandchildren's turn now', yeah.

MP: And so, are there any ways in which your Eid is...has like Scottish influences? Or conversely, any ways in which your Christmas has South Asian influences?

SA: Yes. Christmas, we always...we don't make turkey, we do a leg of lamb. You know, and the...but I do it the Asian way. But I still have roast potatoes and sprouts. Nobody touches the sprouts, but I still make them. Yeah.

MP: And so what does your leg of lamb the Asian way look like?

SA: A pure leg of lamb, and then I marinate it with fresh garlic, fresh ginger, I put cloves in, yogurt, a wee bit of chilli, garam masala. It gets marinated, I do it for two days. It sits for two days in the fridge, and then in the oven. And the kids love it.

• Atta Mohammed Ashrif

Entry credit

Laura Owen