Hillbilly country - appropriate xress

[HappyStroller]

Any idea or advice on what to wear in hilll-billy states, scuh as Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia?

Is it safe for a Chinaman to travel alone in those places? Should one carry a pistol or have a rifle ready in one's car?

[RWS]

. . . . Is it safe for a Chinaman to travel alone in those places? Should one carry a pistol or have a rifle ready in one's car?

Are you serious?

[dopey]

. . . . Is it safe for a Chinaman to travel alone in those places? Should one carry a pistol or have a rifle ready in one's car?

Are you serious?

I take it you have not paid much attention to earlier posts. Even the real pros start to lose patience when no one notices.

[pvpatty]

Any idea or advice on what to wear in hilll-billy states, scuh as Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia?

Is it safe for a Chinaman to travel alone in those places? Should one carry a pistol or have a rifle ready in one's car?

Ah, West Virginia! I spent a few weeks there in a friend's house last year, near Harper's Ferry. A very scenic and naturally beautiful part of the world, but the residents were as corpulent as I have ever come across. It being the middle of winter, most people seemed to get around in tracksuits of some sort, or jeans with big lumberjack style boots and big coats. I however opted for corduroys, woolen sweaters, tweed hat and a Donegal tweed jacket. Combined with a scarf, this ensemble managed to keep away most of the cold, except notably on one occasion in the old settlement at Harper's Ferry where the wind was so piercing that it felt as if I was wearing nothing at all.

I cannot speak for Chinamen, not being one. However, my dark features (Greek heritage) did warrant a few suspicious looks, and some less-than-random special screening at LAX and Dulles. Sadly, I did not see anyone carrying firearms in public, something which I was looking forward to. The level of poverty was surely detectable though.

Still, the redeeming features of West Virginia are its low property values and proximity to more civilized parts of the country. Thank God for the Amtrak.

[Costi]

Oh, dress is very simple there, strangers just wear bullets in their ears, although I personally don't approve of such massive jewellry being displayed by a gentleman. For the discerning, a solid gold version may be arranged - it is sterile and reduces the risk of infection
No reason to be put off by mere gossip, just "put on the Ritz" and walk the streets to see for yourself what a warm welcome you will receive. When do you plan to leave?

[HappyStroller]

My only impression of hill-billy country comes from Clint Eastwood's
Easy Rider. It was a film about 2 white hippies from the California side who rode on motorbikes hoping to reach the East Coast. Clint Eastwood rode a stylish superlong bike with rather small, thin wheels. I guess in those days there were no bikes with limpressive large thick wheels. At the end of the film, they had almost made it to their intended destination. They had just passed the Mid-West and plopped into hill-billy country where three young adults in a small truck passed by, pot-shooting at them for entertainment. After they had shot down his companion, they returned to finished off Clint Eastwood successfully, laughing with glee while disappearing into the distance along the dirt track, which probably was an inter-state highway.

. . . . Is it safe for a Chinaman to travel alone in those places? Should one carry a pistol or have a rifle ready in one's car?

Are you serious?

[HappyStroller]

My apologies if I have offended anyone.

. . . . Is it safe for a Chinaman to travel alone in those places? Should one carry a pistol or have a rifle ready in one's car?

Are you serious?

I take it you have not paid much attention to earlier posts. Even the real pros start to lose patience when no one notices.

[Costi]

My only impression of hill-billy country comes from Clint Eastwood's
Easy Rider.

I enjoyed Bertolucci's "The Last Emperor" a lot, but never hoped to find the same atmosphere when visiting the Forbidden City. In fact everything looked freshly painted, as if finished the day before...

[oscarsfan]

Easy rider is ok, but a more fascinating depiction of hill billy country is in "Deliverance"

I offer you the same advise I gave to a Taiwanese colleague who was visiting us.

If a cop pulls you over, the secret term of address for getting out of speeding tickets is
"Oink, sir, Oink, Oink, I smell bacon oh most magnificent doughnut boy"
Told him that this was super secret priveledged info I had receieved from having a friend in the "Fraternal Order of Police" and that it was some arcane cop talk that lets them know that you have a cop in the family.

Please do report back if you happen to use the phrase.

[HappyStroller]

Thanks for the tip, Oscar Fan, but I'd rather pay the fine than risk my life by insulting the cop in case he turns out to be an Islamic one! No offense meant, Sir, in rejecting your advice. Probably the only way to survive the cops in the States is to let them beat you up and show zero resistance. Just hope someone is around to catch all the action on his or her handphone as in the Los Angeles Rodney King case.

The problem is CNN doesn't pay much attention to the hilly-billy states, so a foreigner has less chance of knowing what the people in those places are like. In contrast, CNN does show a lot about Iraq and China.

So, by watching CNN, one knows that it still won't be safe to travel there even if there are rocket launchers, mortars, grenade launchers, H&K, Uzi, etc., in the boot of one's car, because of those special Iranian-made land mines.

[pvpatty]

CNN does show a lot about Iraq and China.

So, by watching CNN, one knows that it still won't be safe to travel there even if there are rocket launchers, mortars, grenade launchers, H&K, Uzi, etc., in the boot of one's car, because of those special Iranian-made land mines.

Very droll, sir.

[HappyStroller]

Well, I haven't decided when to visit the place until I have a firmer idea of what to wear in the first place.

I'm afraid wearing city dress fit for the Ritz will make me stand out too much.

Oh, dress is very simple there, strangers just wear bullets in their ears, although I personally don't approve of such massive jewellry being displayed by a gentleman. For the discerning, a solid gold version may be arranged - it is sterile and reduces the risk of infection
No reason to be put off by mere gossip, just "put on the Ritz" and walk the streets to see for yourself what a warm welcome you will receive. When do you plan to leave?

[pvpatty]

At what time of year shall you be going?

[HappyStroller]

Thank you, Sir, for your most helpful response.

It seems just dressing up just like most folks do in suburban U.S.A. should do then. Perhaps, a colorful plastic anorak, T-shirt, corduroy pants, socks suitable for outdoor treks and Caterpillar boots.

Your rather WASPish/Ivy League dressing also sounds like a very suitable alternative.

I am thinking of avoiding the executive suit look plus Fedora and wingtips, or even seersucker suit with white buck shoes, a cap and silver-top walking cane, but haven't formed an opinion about English country checked patterns, or even fancy cowboy shirts, hat and boots.

...<snipped>...
Ah, West Virginia! I spent a few weeks there in a friend's house last year, near Harper's Ferry. A very scenic and naturally beautiful part of the world, but the residents were as corpulent as I have ever come across. It being the middle of winter, most people seemed to get around in tracksuits of some sort, or jeans with big lumberjack style boots and big coats. I however opted for corduroys, woolen sweaters, tweed hat and a Donegal tweed jacket. Combined with a scarf, this ensemble managed to keep away most of the cold, except notably on one occasion in the old settlement at Harper's Ferry where the wind was so piercing that it felt as if I was wearing nothing at all.

I cannot speak for Chinamen, not being one. However, my dark features (Greek heritage) did warrant a few suspicious looks, and some less-than-random special screening at LAX and Dulles. Sadly, I did not see anyone carrying firearms in public, something which I was looking forward to. The level of poverty was surely detectable though.

Still, the redeeming features of West Virginia are its low property values and proximity to more civilized parts of the country. Thank God for the Amtrak.

[pvpatty]

The cowboy option may be feasible, I can recall a few examples of such attire being sported by the locals while I was there.