Ugly Americans in Salem

Night Owl Gal and friend are having lunch in a Salem restaurant, when she takes a pretty near instant dislike to some Midwesterners at the next table:

... Their waiter (also our waiter), probably a gregarious, beer-guzzling Salem State college student named Vinnie, came over. Vinnie is all Massachusetts, probably has family in Southie who taught him how to talk. He is annoying in that way that some waiters cannot help but be, and he saw midwesterners and turned up his accent a bit, giving them the show they came for.

"Hello folks, I'm Vinnie and I'll be your waiter today" he smiled down at them, hoping for a tip that John and I already knew he wouldn't be getting, not from that table. The asian man looked up at him, in all seriousness, and said "Did you know that you talk funny?". They all laughed, and tried to mimick their best Boston accent, which invariably makes people sound as though they have swallowed golf balls in their effort not to pronounce the letter "R". ...

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maybe once Hillary or Barack

By pierce | Mon, 09/17/2007 - 2:00pm

maybe once Hillary or Barack is president, and after acceptance of gay marriage is commonplace, I can become the MLK of midwesterners, and tell this country how unjust it is that Coasters label every boorish tourist with no noticeable accent as a midwesterner.

I think we've all spent enough time in the fringe of Boston to know that ugly-americanism knows no geographical bounds.

As a former midwesterner...

By FlyingToaster (not verified) | Mon, 09/17/2007 - 8:03pm

... (third generation Missourian, no less), I still say my "r"'s -- 20 years into my life in the Hub.

Of course, unlike those boors who *were* clearly raised in a barn, I'm civilized. I personally couldn't blame Vinnie or any other waitron who spat in their food.

I moved 1500 miles to escape folks like that. Yeesh. Can't the TSA let us have our Eurotrash back?

When Vinnie Goes to Vegas Next

By SwirlyGrrl (not verified) | Mon, 09/17/2007 - 8:20pm

I hope he remembers to flush as he flies over their state.

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