Horse penis Scottish mine worker will be deported

Mr McFeat Facebook

A Scottish man is facing deportation from Kyrgyzstan after causing offence to locals; that saying 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do' is not a bad adage when in a foreign land.

Scottish mine worker Michael McFeat, from Abernethy, Scotland, should have given it credence.

He has lost his job at the Kumtor open pit gold mine run by Canadian firm Centerra Gold and is persona non grata in Kyrgyzstan.

He was working in Kyrgyzstan when he decided to compare a local dish to a horse's penis; he did so on social media and it has cost him dearly.

The food in question is a national dish and much loved by the people of that country. He posted an image of 'Kyrgyz co-workers queuing for a "chuchuk" horsemeat sausage' and accompanied it with derision.

It could have been New Year high spirits but McFeat was arrested at Manas International Airport, close to the capital Bishkek, on Sunday, and will now be deported.

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He posted the image on Facebook December 31, 2015, with a caption that read ""The Kyrgyz people queuing out of the door for there (sic) special delicacy the horse’s penis!!!""

He quickly deleted the post and offered his apology for the caption but he is still toast.

The official line from the authorities is that he is being deported as his work documentation was not up to scratch.

However most people believe it is due to the horse's penis reference which did receive an angry response on local radio.

According to BBC News "the post had caused a lot of discontent and resentment on the part of local staff, who demanded respect for the traditions of the people of Kyrgyzstan, as well as an apology from the mine's management company."

Scotland has some strange dining traditions such as deep-fried Mars chocolate bars and haggis but I doubt they would be so sensitive.

However Kyrgyzstan is not Scotland or the UK and we should respect local traditions and sensibilities when possible.

So if Kyrgyzstan is part of your travel plans don't make fun of the food.