> Reading this thread (this bit of it in
> particular), however, has made me wonder if
> this uptightness isn't actually more of a New
> England characteristic, and I should spend
> some time travelling about the U.S. before I
> discard it for faraway continents.

Definitely. This is such a large, diverse country
that if you travel all over it, you're going to find
all kinds of people, attitudes, and even
cultures. I'm not all that well travelled, but even
I've noticed pointed differences in how people
treat each other in different places. My last
out-of-town trip was only a couple hundred
miles away, about 3 hours south to Louisville,
Kentucky, and even there I noticed a
difference. Servers in restaurants seemed
more chatty and friendly, and people in
general just seemed more laid back and
open. I can't for the life of me think of why that
would be. What is about Kentucky, or the
South in general, that makes people more
hospitable? What is it about New England that
makes people more "uptight" and reserved?

It's gotta be more than just the weather.

Gri"now what do Aussies and Kentuckians
have in common?"shny