Of all places

[Benning Boy]

Of all places to meet a Scotsman, I ran into one while kilted in a tiny Kansas town on a secondary highway the other day. We had an interesting, but brief conversation.

He's a native of Glasgow, and we were both stopped at a convenience store buying drinks -- soft ones. Of course he noticed my 5.11 TDK and remarked that he had never seen a kilt like it, only tartan ones. That kicked things off. And we had a nice chat. He seemed an interesting guy, who had seen much of the world, and was working for a moving company mainly to get out and see the entirety of the USA.


When he immigrated, he first moved to Florida, where his mother lived. When she died he moved to Dallas. I asked him how he liked the weather here compared to Scotland. He said he liked Scottish weather better, as American weather will kill you quicker.


He jumped back in his 18-wheeler, and I continued on my emergency mission. We never would have met, but for the kilt.

[HuDonald]

That's one of the great things about kilts... when people give others due respect (politeness), it allows us to meet new people, spark good conversations, and intelligent exchanges. It really brings people and cultures together, whether it's in recognition, familiarity, or genuine curiosity.

People that come up to insult you about wearing a skirt don't count...

[OC Richard]

Myself and another piper from my band were in line at a burger place in our band kit when a guy came up and started asking us why we're wearing kilts, are we Scottish, and so forth. His accent was strange, like a not-very-good attempt at a Russian accent or something.

When we told him we were just Americans, but played pipes in a local pipe band, he switched from the fake Russian accent to his own strong Scottish accent and was friendly and chatty. Turns out he's the Pastor of a local church.

It was a fortuitous meeting, because he hired me to play at his church a number of times, including playing for the wedding of his daughter!