I know, I was just teasin' y'all.

And now I can tell my favorite MayDay story.

As you all know, Mayday is the international workers' (read: marxist/leninist) holiday.

Well, on May 1, 1984, I was a grad student at the University of Illinois at Chicago. It was one of those rare spring days in Chicago that was neither snowy nor excruciatingly hot, and a lot of people were lunching in the amphitheatre in the center of campus.

Well, knowing it was the Marxist/Leninist holiday, the campus Young Republicans had booked the lectern (sp?) in the amphitheatre, and its attendant PA system. They had a whole slough of 'em, in suit-and-tie, to come up to the microphone and read short essays on the glories of capitalism.

The Leninist-Marxists, of which our campus had several groups (all in competition with one another and denouncing one another's right to represent world Leninist/Marxism, of course), came late to the amphitheatre and REALLY had their (red) knickers in a knot that the Young Republicans had the PA system booked up. They stood off to one side, yelling jeers at the YR's, occasionally breaking into chants of marxist slogans, and so forth. They were really quite obviously hot under the collar, and the YR's were eating it up, being very calm -- almost mockingly calm and cool and collected, smoothly reading their pro-capitalism essays over the PA system.

It was quite a show. Most of us lunch-munchers were enjoying it greatly.

Then I noticed a young student running back and forth around the rim of the amphitheatre. He was whispering in people's ears, and getting nods or thumbs up from the people he talked to.

This went on for a few minutes, and then suddenly, a good number the spectators on one side of the amphitheatre yelled, "LESS FILLING!"

Immediately followed by a bunch on the other side who yelled out, "TASTES GREAT!"

They went back and forth several times, finally breaking into laughter, with the rest of us (except of course the L/M's, who were furious, and the YR's, who were taking themselves far too seriously to laugh).

It was the best Mayday I've ever had.

Alex