Variation on "Are you Scottish?"

[Mike n NC]

It is amazing what passes for intelligent conversation these days. Isn't it? :-(

Mike

[bubba]

The town I live in is heavy with Dutch heritage. I get asked often if I'm Irish when kilted. If it's asked sarcastically I usually ask if they're really Polish.

[arrogcow]

Posted here before, but in the receint past I have been both asked if I was a Druid and if I was a communist. Both because of the kilt.

Adam

[bikercelt1]

he sits himself down on the bench in front of the counter, and proceeds to make small talk...He says, with all sincerity, "Are you 100% Dutch?"

That's odd, there's a fellow at my church who keeps asking "so you're Dutch, right?" He is from Northern Italy himself, so at first I thought it was some sort of cultural or linguistic confusion but he asks me this at least once a month so I'm not sure what this is about. Maybe some Higland mercenaries invaded Italy by way of Holland????

Jamie

[Archangel]

One day last week I had an equally strange question. Here's the set up -- I was at work, at the SCOTTISH Tartans Museum. I'm standing behind the front counter, in a KILT. A gentleman walks in with his wife. His wife pays to go see the museum, but for one reason or another, he doesn't want to go through. So he sits himself down on the bench in front of the counter, and proceeds to make small talk.

He says, with all sincerity, "Are you 100% Dutch?"

Taken aback by the seeming randsomness of this question, I answer honestly. "No, no I'm not Dutch at all. I'm Scottish and English with a little bit of Irish."

And he proceeds to tell me about some buddy of his that is part Irish, and the question of Scottish heritage, or why on earth he thought I might be Dutch, never comes back up.

Aye,
Matt

Here's my stab at it: I've had people start a similar line so they can end up making some stupid joke about the tightness of Dutch and Scots, how they invented wire, blah, blah, blah. Maybe your answer was too long and didn't lead into his punchline, which is good for you.

[Kilted_John]

But I soytenly don't have a Joisey accent eitha!!! ;-)

Mark

Quite true... teehee
-J

[Rob]

Posted here before, but in the receint past I have been both asked if I was a Druid and if I was a communist. Both because of the kilt.

Adam

Adam,

Next time this happens, adopt a serious, enquiring expression and ask them where you can get hold of Druid or Communist Tartans, because you are keen to buy some. That should floor them.

Rob

[davedove]

I've figured it out. Somewhere in New Jersey there is a small settlement of Dutch speaking Scotsmen, or perhaps kilt wearing Dutchmen.

[jfellrath]

Maybe the people asking are just hard of hearing, and when they hear "Highland" they think people are saying "Holland."

[MacConnachie]

I've had some folk ask me what I think is going to be a fairly typical question that one gets while parading about with a pipe band, only to have them alter the last bit of the question to see if I were paying attention, I'd guess. Actually, I sort of like that, because it gives me the opportunity to "think on my feet," as it were. Even if that was not their original intention when framing the question, it's definitely more interesting for me than readying the third standard variant response to, "Is it true what Scotsmen wear . . . ?"