Posted by Ed Kiser on August 08, 2000 at 05:13:35 from MIAMA020-0643.splitrock.net:
In Reply to: Re: Picts and Martyrs Oddities posted by Disgruntled Northerner on August 07, 2000 at 20:27:28:
The concept of an "oddity" is very depending on the position of
the viewer. As has been pointed out, I, the originator of the
"oddities" document, am from SOUTH FLORIDA in the USA. I speak
AMERICAN, (obviously, not ENGLISH), and with a Southern Accent.
Just be glad that among the oddities I could have noted, but chose
to ignore, are strange things like:
Breakfast without GRITS? Uncivilized...
MILK in the TEA? Sounds downright disgusting to me.
The word, "JOLLY". It means "very happy", not just "VERY"
at least, that's the way these things seem to this good ol' boy
from the south.
Which brings up the ultimate oddity of all: when I was in LONDON,
ENGLAND, on business, I was placing a food order with the waitress
who looked at me rather strangely, and said, "You're an YANKEE,
aren't you?"
Well, I reckon, to a Southern Gentleman, to be accused of such
would normally be considered to be "fightin' words". How dare I
be called such a thing as that. But understanding that from HER
point of view, all us fellers from the USA are considered Yankees,
so I made to fuss about it, but just agreed, that "Yes, I am
a (shudder) Yankee." The things one has to do, in the name of
diplomacy.
I do admit that some of my questions in "ODDITIES" involve
language differencs, cultural differences, and perhaps a difference
in time, looking at things in 1930.
But that is what makes reading RANSOME so fascinating. And that
we are here to be all about anyway.
Ed Kiser (south Florida - how much further SOUTH can I get...)