My conversations with the cab drivers here appear to follow a strict template. Here’s how they work:
Me: Can I get to (usually “the top of Marchmont Crescent” or “Waverley Station”)?
Cabbie: Aye. Where are you from? (she’s probably American but I had better ask, he thinks.)
Me: Canada.
Cabbie: Where in Canada? (Whew! I’m glad I asked her.)
Me: Montreal. (sometimes I say Toronto, depends on my mood.)
Cabbie: Canada’s a nice place.
Me: (nods. During my first month here, maybe I would have choked back a tear)
Cabbie: So are you just here for a visit or are you here to stay?
Me: Here to stay – I’m on a work permit.
Cabbie: Oh, OK! (Visibly brightens, his passenger is not a tourist!) What do you think of Scotland?
Me: It’s gorgeous! (Which is truly the first compliment that springs to my lips about Scotland.)
Cabbie: How long is your permit for?
Me: Two years.
Cabbie: And then what?
Me: Who knows!
Cabbie: You should marry a Scotsman and stay forever! (Turning around and looking at me to get my reaction at this point)
Me: (has brief daydream about accepting or rejecting suitors based on the aesthetic qualities of his tartan) Well, that’s one option.
The scene usually ends with me giving him a generous tip and then being called “a wee darling”.
Note to readers: This post should not be construed as an invitation to submit marriage proposals. This post should also be considered to offer no insight into whether or not I am interested in marriage, to a Scotsman or anyone else. It should also not be implied that I take so many taxis in Edinburgh. What else do I want to disavow? Hum, that’ll do it for now.
5 replies on “My Conversations with Edinburgh’s Cab Drivers”
I took two cabs in Edinburgh. The drivers were nice, but hard to understand. I can’t remember if it was expensive, or outrageously expensive. It was near the end of my week there, so my idea of "expensive" might have shifted by then.
The cabs of the UK scare me though. I don’t know why. On the other had, NYC cabs were so cheap, and easy. The architype.
If you are in Edinburgh on the 18th, pop by the Jolly Judge pub, there may be a group of bloggers meeting…
(not sure the standard of conversation will stretch to anything approaching your recent thesis though!)
Hi Gordon – thanks for adding me to the Scottish Blogs list! I will certainly try to come to the meet up on the 18th… and won’t bore anyone with any talk of voice recognition or performance art (!!)
During my time in Edinburgh, I would use taxis and most of them were polite, and well dressed (shirt & tie! )
I found that really refreshing..
If I weren’t already taken, I could most definitely be swayed by a Scottish accent (maybe its my genes talking…)