Ears are burning

Tell ITN about the funniest thing that ever happened to you while traveling in a foreign country. (ITN prints no info on destinations in the United States.) The ITN staff will choose each month’s winner, who will receive a free one-year subscription to ITN. Entries not chosen cannot be acknowledged. 

This month’s winner is JAMES McGEE of Sun City, CA:

On a trip to Scotland in June ’10, I visited the minuscule Hebridean island of Islay, an ancestral homeland of mine. The largest town is Bowmore (fewer than 800 inhabitants), where I stayed in a B&B. Across the street was the town pub, and I walked over to have dinner. 

I enjoyed one of the island’s single malts and conversation with two of the locals and the bar maid, with whom I then discussed dinner. After deciding on a meal, I asked her if I should go to the adjacent dining room to eat.

“Nae’, sit in here,” she said. “Otherwise, we’ll talk about ye.”