Newsgroups: rec.org.sca
Subject: Gringos
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1992 10:34:22

     Aryk wrote:

 AN> >     The majority of the SCA is in the US.

 AN> Yeah?  Well, come over here and say that, Gringo!

 That reminds me .... Back in the late 60's, when I was in the Navy and the
 inhabitants of the United States were even less popular with foreigners
 than they have been at other times, I and several of my friends had
 occasion to venture south of The Border into Tijuana (as sailors sometimes
 do), and were walking down what appeared to us to be a fairly run-down
 alleyway (as sailors often do, calculating [with some historical basis]
 that such hold more Prospects for Adventure than broad, well-tended ways).
 In front of one shop there appeared to be a group of grim-faced young men
 (numbers equal, but we had them on poundage) who looked at us in a
 distinctly unfriendly way as we approached. Upon our drawing level with
 them, one of them pointedly reached inside the shop and pulled out a
 large, very professionally done poster that read (in large red letters)
 YANKEE GO HOME - WE DON'T NEED YOUR STINKING DOLLARS and propped it in the
 window. The group then crossed their arms (a very well-synchronized
 movement) and glowered at us.

 My friend Meyer (who was from Ostgardr, although we knew it by another
 name back then) brought this to the attention of my friend Jackson (who
 was from Iron Mountain, although we knew it by another name back then),
 by elbowing him in the ribs and pointing, saying, "Hey, Grit, you see
 that?" (Jackson was called Grit because he customarily ate "grits" for
 breakfast, as people from Iron Mountain often do, which was a source of
 deep amaze to all of his shipmates). Grit, who was taller than me (I'm
 6-foot) and heavier (I'm 210 before breakfast) and had taken advantage of
 recently-liberalized regulations to grow a fairly disreputable-looking
 beard, had been gazing at the other side of the street at the time, and
 turned his head around to see what had happened.

 Now, Grit is an excellent fellow, very patriotic (as people from Iron
 Mountain often are) and one who regarded street brawls as casual afternoon
 entertainment (as people from Iron Mountain sometimes do - or so I'm
 told) similar to softball, so it was no surprise to us that his eyes lit
 up and he said in a very satisfied tone, "Well, ain't that special. I knew
 this was gonna be a good day when I got up, yes Ah did." He then marched
 up to the fellow who had placed the sign in the window and looked him up
 and down in a calculating way; needless to say, we were all right behind
 him, and the other fellow's friends moved quickly to get behind *him*.

    Grit: "You speak English?"
    Other: "Some."
    Grit: "I saw yer sign."
    Other (sticking his jaw out): "Yeah?"
    Grit (pulling out wallet) "Got any more like 'at you could sell me? I
    know some folks back home, would purely love to have 'em...."

 It took us about an hour to explain to the poor guy what the situation
 was, and to this day I'm sure he really doesn't have a clue....

 (Ordinarily we might have had a difficulty getting them back onto the
 Base, but the Junior Officer of the Deck was from Tuscaloosa and wanted to
 buy one to send to his old man....)

    Tadhg

 * Origin: Herald's Point * Steppes/Ansteorra * 214-699-0057 (1:124/4229)
Newsgroups: rec.org.sca