In the book by 1930s travel writer H. V. Morton, 'In Search of Scotland', he relates a story an old man told me who, as a young man, had been invited by a friend to his parents' home in the Highlands. On the way, the friend asked him earnestly NOT to let on that his name was Campbell, because his parents wouldn't like it. Well, of yourse the father questioned him about his ancestry, and finally the young man thought, Why not?, and told the old man his name was Campbell. The old man got up and asked him very quietly to leave, as no Campbell was ever allowed to sit at his hearthstone (or something to that effect). Morton was duly impressed but thought such things couldn't happen in his time.

Another story is in the notes to one of the McCalmans' CDs. It is about this American woman wandering around Glen Coe and getting hungry. Finally she meets an old man and asks him: 'Is there a McDonald's somewhere?' The old man looks at her for a while and finally says: 'Not any more, no.' Talk about a clash of cultures! - Susanne