The Cultural Exchange

The other day, us WPI kids took a stroll down to a London pub one evening for a couple pints and good company.
I walk up to the bar, and ask for a pint, and flash my Massachusetts driver's license, my legal document that screams "Yes, I am allowed to drink here, and please stop smirking at me, I know it's 21 in the United States." And out of the corner of my eye, a flash of green and ginger. Irish guy. Oh boy.

"MASSACHUSETTS?!!! YOU FROM AMERICA THEN? WHERE YA FROM? ...WHAT? WHAT THE HELL IS RHODE ISLAND?"

His name was Mick Finnegan.
I am not making this up.

What follows is the cultural exchange with the drunk Irish guy & friends, and students from the United States of America, at a pub on Tower Hill, London.

Dating Advice

1. Pick-Up Lines: "If you want to get anywhere with a woman, the best pick up line is "SMASHING BLOUSE. ...WHY? IT WORKS, WATCH." ---it worked.
2. Courting for Dummies: "Watch this." Walks up to a woman. "Me and the lads have a bet goin' we were hopin' you could settle. This material on my shirt, I say it's polyester, he says it's cotton. We were wondering what you thought." ... "Polyester? You're wrong." [pause, straight face] "It's boyfriend material."

Social Studies

1. Geography: Rhode Island is best described "the appendix of Massachusetts" or "It's the little one. No, not New Jersey... Stop talking like you're from New Jersey. No, I don't talk like that. Yes, I hate Jersey Shore."
2. Statistics: It takes at LEAST 4 ales to get 2 British guys & a big Rugby-playing Irishman to yell 'MERICA at the top of their lungs.
3. World Culture: Everybody enjoys a fake Southern accent.
4. American Cuisine: Squirrel is a delicacy in the South.

Fine Lagers

1. On selecting the right ale: "THE GREEN ONE."
2. On my friend's choice in libation: "WHAT THE HELL KIND OF SISSY DRINK ARE YOU DRINKING" ... "WHAT? CIDER? FECK, LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING I PISSED THIS MORNIN', GET A FECKIN' BEER."

American-Ireland relations improvement: Check. You're welcome, USA.