[Sca-cooks] odd

[Terry Decker]

The term for this individual behavior is "professional Scot."  More commonly 
you meet "professional Irish."  They are U.S. citizens who wrap themselves 
in their ethnic identity for whatever reason, as opposed to those who merely 
commemorate their ethnicity or who live in an active ethnic community.

I have a friend who is "professional Irish" and I understand the behavior, 
but I don't understand the attraction.  Of course, I'd have a problem 
deciding which of my various ancestral ethnicities to take on.

Bear


----- Original Message ----- 

That's really fun and interesting to see how old Ethnicities are performed.
Some years ago I visited a very WASP friend, Barbara, born in Virginia and
North American for several generations. She lives in Madison, New Jersey,
and she wanted to introduce us to an old friend, a Scottish gentleman.
He opened the door and he wore the traditional Scottish kilt and a short
coat with some Tartan pattern. He explained to us it was the tartan
belonging to his clane, a typical Highland clane.
But my Swedsih friend and me were a bit puzzled, he spoke perfect American
and he didn't have the charasteristic Scottish accent.
We asked him when did he leave Scottland to live in the US and he laughed
:"Good Lord, it was the father of my grandfather who made the trip,. I visit
Scottland to be in a cousin's gathering every ten years.
But he considered himself a Scottish gentleman living in Madison,. New
Jersey.
Ana