Interesting conversation

[Derek]

As the mrs and myself joined the bus queue for the bus home yesterday, there was a mother and daughter in front of us, ages approx 40 & 16, I guess.
The mother looked at me and said .. 'You are obviously from Edinburgh'
'No' I said, 'This is a welsh cilt and remarked that there are many many welsh tartans available today'
'Oh' she said, 'Do you get many comments'
'no' I said 'in fact I have been out all day and you are the first to comment'
She then said ' wow, Im scared to wear a skirt and I'm a woman' the daughted piped up 'well I think your cilt is great' .. then we were getting on the bus. As it happened they were sat behind us on the bus home and when we got up to get off they were the first to say goodbye n nice to meet you .... Got to love these little moments, albeit they are very rare ...
Iechyd Da
Derek

[thecompaqguy]

She then said ' wow, Im scared to wear a skirt and I'm a woman'
Derek

Since when were women scared to wear skirts? More guys are embracing the kilt, in the band Rough Copy on the X Factor, there's one member who's kilted every week ;)

[English Bloke]

Good story Derek. And nice that the lady and her daughter went away with a greater understanding of the Cilt and it's part in modern Welsh culture. Most of the encounters I have are positive and the negatives I do occasionally experience are easily brushed aside.

[McClef]

The one time I was attacked for wearing a kilt was by a woman in trousers.

More ladies seem to prefer bifurcated garments for regular wear these days than those who wear skirts.

At least that's my observation.

[kiltedrennie]

This year has been the first my daughter (now 17) has worn a skirt since she was a little girl. Mostly to the local renaissance festival. When she does wear one to school, she wears compression shorts under it.

Some of her reluctance stems from her conservative nature (relative to her classmates). She would never be accused of being extraverted. I've also heard stories of some rather rude behavior she has observed from her male classmates. She just doesn't feel comfortable attracting undue attention. If she weren't going to a school she would wear them more often (e.g. to work).

[OC Richard]

I usually get no comment (as you say) or positive remarks like "nice kilt" or a smile accompanied by a thumbs-up sign.

The most negative comment I've ever got was from an elderly woman in Glasgow. Our pipe band had just finished playing in George Square and I was walking, pipes in hand, directly to the nearest underground station for the trip back to Maryhill.

I'm striding along and this old woman stops me and demands "WHERE are you FROM?" and I say "Los Angeles" and she harrumphs "I THOUGHT so!" and stalks away!

The irony is that we had just done a show in George Square which was very well received by the locals. Local TV interviewed many of them and they always said things like "it's lovely to have people from all over the world playing the pipes". This very same old lady, had she watched us play, would probably have thought it quite grand.

Another irony is that we, like most pipers, only wear our kit when performing, but I was in effect being accused of "dressing up like a Scot".

[Father Bill]

... or maybe not. Some people are just born grumpy.

[Jock Scot]

I usually get no comment (as you say) or positive remarks like "nice kilt" or a smile accompanied by a thumbs-up sign.

The most negative comment I've ever got was from an elderly woman in Glasgow. Our pipe band had just finished playing in George Square and I was walking, pipes in hand, directly to the nearest underground station for the trip back to Maryhill.

I'm striding along and this old woman stops me and demands "WHERE are you FROM?" and I say "Los Angeles" and she harrumphs "I THOUGHT so!" and stalks away!

The irony is that we had just done a show in George Square which was very well received by the locals. Local TV interviewed many of them and they always said things like "it's lovely to have people from all over the world playing the pipes". This very same old lady, had she watched us play, would probably have thought it quite grand.

Another irony is that we, like most pipers, only wear our kit when performing, but I was in effect being accused of "dressing up like a Scot".

AH yes! You bumped in to one of the graduates of the world renowned Glaswegian School of Gunboat Diplomacy, who's idea of subtle diplomatic chit -chat is to call a spade, a thirty ton loading shovel!

Its a shame that the lady could not keep her thoughts to herself, but in truth, you were in the "home" of plain speaking---------and sometimes that plain speaking can er, well, OK, more often than not, be very succinct!-------------------------- One gets used to it after a while.

[Riverkilt]

Wonderful interlude Derek. I continue to be amazed at all the people, of all ages, who feel free to come up to me when I'm kilted and make a comment or ask a question...almost always sincere or innocent...but these same people would never initiate a conversation with me if I were wearing blue jeans instead. There has to be a doctoral thesis waiting for someone in the field of sociology or anthropology in this phenomenon that its okay to start up a conversation with a stranger in a kilt. We must appear friendly, safe, and genial to others when we're kilted.

[WillowEstate]

A nice encounter, Derek and by the sound of it, the perfect response, thanks for sharing.

I continue to be amazed at all the people, of all ages, who feel free to come up to me when I'm kilted and make a comment or ask a question...almost always sincere or innocent...but these same people would never initiate a conversation with me if I were wearing blue jeans instead.

You're right, Riverkilt, I'd never really given it much thought. The questions I usually get are "What tartan is that?", "Do you play the bagpipes?" and "Are you going somewhere special?", the latter even when casually kilted at the supermarket!

In fact, the only time I can recall a similar question when not kilted concerned my tie. Our company tie (yes, we really had one!) was, apart from the small logo at the bottom and American slope stripes, the same colours and design as the UK Guards military tie. The commissionaire at one company I visited asked if I had served? But that's all I can recall.