SlowpokeBlog

Mat in France sends this amusing anecdote:

I laughed a lot reading your last cartoon about Americans touring Europe in ultra-comfortable equipment, first of all because, well, this is *exactly* how we caricature Americans over here (it is very European to describe the Americans this way, rightly or wrongly so), but as well because it is part of my job as a guide to do tours inside a medieval castle. I had once three American gentlemen, very friendly, very polite and considerate, but who were all three quite well stocked in terms of circumference. The beginning of the tour went all right, but there was a huge embarrassment when we got to the "narrow" part of the keep (narrow corridors and stairs). They quickly realized after having quickly tried that there was no way they would get through, even with a bit of help. They sort of chuckled a bit about it, looked very embarrassed, said something like "how slim they were in those days!" and returned to the tickets office... Poor gentlemen, they were very curious and eager to learn.

I should probably clarify here that my cartoon is intended to poke fun at Americans spoiled by convenience rather than as a cheap shot at those, er, "well stocked in terms of circumference." I read some statistic a while ago about the shockingly small distance the average American walks in a day. The convenience of driving everywhere perpetuates a need for more convenience. Like porta-couches!