Shoes and socks of course! I attended the Grand Valley Scottish Festival in Grand Junction this weekend. And yes, I wore my kilt with my dirk (short dagger) in my right sock. The dirk is used more as an eating utensil than a weapon. It has been known to be used on fools who taunt us about wearing “skirts.” REAL MEN WEAR KILTS! Feasts often included platters of venison or fowl. Parties were BYOC, “Bring Your Own Cutlery.” You were expected to cut off a hunk with your dirk and eat with your hands. More and more venues have metal detectors at the gates. Not at Celtic festivals. Still, I don’t know many public gatherings where “open carry” means daggers, broadswords, axes and the dreaded bagpipe.
American has a huge population of Scottish immigrants. They are spread all over. They came in waves for economic reasons and political asylum. Scots financed many endeavors in the Colonies. Scots were proud of the reputation of holding tight on to their pennies, but they were also savvy about investing. They still are. When I first visited Scotland, a distillery tour guide told us that there was more Scotch in bonded warehouses than the English had gold in the treasury. Talk about liquid assets! That leads me to my first FAQ. Do not misuse the word Scotch. Scotch is a whisky distilled in Scotland. A proper Scotsman consumes it at room temperature often with a wee bit of spring water. I am sure there is law against ice in refreshments in Great Britain. A Scot or Scotsman is a person born in Scotland who probably consumes large quantities of Scotch. That’s what makes him Scottish, not Scotch. It is said that a foreigner could become Scottish by absorption.
Anyway, when the Scots came to America, much of their culture, language and stills came with them. There are large concentrations in the South in the Carolinas and Georgia. Appalachia suited them well. A certain disdain for governments, stubbornness, combativeness and pride in self-sufficiency still exists in rural areas family clans have occupied for generations. Try to think of Andrew Jackson’s personality, Hatfield and McCoy feuds, prohibition stills and trespassers getting shot at. Time has softened the attitudes a little, but the heart of the Highland Scot is alive and well in America. The Highlands is the rough, rocky region of Scotland in the West. It has more sheep, less population and less flat farmland. It has many coastal islands and large inland lochs (lakes) with salmon to feed the world, and of course the world famous “Nessie,” monster of the Loch Ness. It is also home to the Highland cattle which one of our local ranches raises here. There it is known as the “Mucklecoo” which roughly translates as messy cow. It is durable for cold climates due to its long hair. A Mucklecoo always looks like it needs its bangs trimmed. So, enough travelog, just remember, I DON’T DRINK SCOTCH, BUT I DO WEAR A KILT AND CARRY A DIRK
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