Why the strange clothes

[KBs PensNmore]

A young Arab boy asks his father, “What is that strange hat you are wearing?"


The father said, "Why, my son, it is a 'chechia.' In the desert it protects our heads from the intense heat of the sun.


"And what is the long flowing robe you are wearing?”, asked the boy.


“Oh, my son!”, exclaimed the father, “It is very simple. This is a 'djbellah'. As I have told you, in the desert it is not only very hot, but the sand is always blowing. My djbellah protects the entire body”.


The son then asked, "But Father, what about those ugly shoes you have on your feet?"


"These are 'babouches' my son,” the father replied. "You must understand that although the desert sands are very beautiful, they are also extremely hot. These babouches' keep us from burning our feet".


"So tell me then," added the boy.


"Yes, my son…"


"Why are you living in Luton and still wearing all this ?”

[Moti]

Why not?

[BobL]

Anyone can wear pretty much anything in Luton as the weather is relatively mild so there's not much of a joke there.

The real joke is when westerners first went to the middle east or the Aussie outback and insisted on wearing western European clothing (tweed suit including a jacket and tie) in conditions where it really mattered. A few westerners like Lawerance of Arabia had the sense to go native.

Interesting clothing adaptation occurred in mountaineering in the early 20th. British climbers in the European alps in the 19th century and European expeditions in the Himalayas in the early 20th century insisted on wearing tweed suits with ties and some wore their pyjamas underneath to keep them warm. It took an Australian Scientist/climber (George Finch, father of actor Peter Finch) to sit back and seriously study the Nepalese mountain conditions and come up with the puffer/quilted jacket and oxygen bottles and masks. He came very close to the top of Everest but was shunned by further official expedition organizers because of his so called 'unsavoury personal life".

[Moti]

... so there's not much of a joke there..

Sums it up really. A 'joke' making fun of those 'funny' foreigners.

[Moti]

... so there's not much of a joke there..

Sums it up really. A 'joke' making fun of those 'funny' foreigners.