So I am a student in physics, and my friend organized all of us who are doing research over the summer into a bar night at a local Irish Pub. Its a little off campus so it draws an older crowd; it's very nice. I went kilted (of course) in my Galloway Hunting district tartan.

At some point in the evening I decided to get myself a Jameson. The rest of this story hinges on the fact that as I approached the bar, everyone there had their backs to me. (they didn't see the kilt)

I was raised on "please" and "thank you," and I worked in restaurants before, so I didn't think much of it when I asked, "May I please have a Jameson." The fellow next to me said in a thick Scottish accent, "THAT'S NOT HOW YOU ORDER A DRINK! You gotta say it like this..."

I told him he sounded like he was from Glasgow. He said excitedly, "That's exactly right; that's exactly right, how could you possibly know that?" At this point I saw how much he had been drinking. I told him that I knew the difference between a Glasgow accent and, say, and Aberdeen accent or one from Galloway where my family was from (once upon a time). Well he was impressed enough to pay for my drink, and after he asked again how I could know his accent. All I could say was, "Ummm..." as I looked down at my kilt, which he finally noticed.

We both had a good laugh. We talked about the tartan. He thought it was Irish, that I had said Galway earlier, and I spent a good 30 seconds trying to tell him that Galloway did not border Wales. I figured he was more advanced in the festivities of the evening. We parted, and I went back to enjoy my drink with my friend over a game of billiards.



He came later asking if I was wearing a Gordon tartan. I guess he forgot our earlier conversation. I had a private laugh. In his defense, I suppose it was dark enough to not notice the red stripe or the lack of the color blue.