I've had the exact same reaction from people. I'll run into a friend I haven't seen in years, and they'll be all "Whoa! Beard!"

I'm a big fan of beards for that reason. Everybody just calls me lumberjack or mountain man these days, and the ladies like to nuzzle the beard. Pair it with the friendly-people-and-women-attracting kilt, and every day is an adventure.

But I don't worry so much about food getting on my kilt as I do about food in my beard.