"You're Not From Here"

My biggest fear in moving to The Frontier was in reliving the angst I previously had when I made the area my home the first time - I didn't fit in. While I share the same basic cultural and ideological background as the majority of the residents of The Frontier, I don't always agree on the execution or the details. I don't fit into the pre-defined mold (or the perception of such mold, rather).

So it was with not much more than mild surprise that I was greeted at Einstein's Bagels yesterday with, "You're not from here, are you?"

I wracked my brain about what had given me away. I had not spoken to the assistant manager who prepared and rang up my purchase beyond giving him my order. I was wearing a shirt, slacks and heels - nothing too bizarre there (though I did realize later in the day that Baby Girl had left a spot on my left shoulder - burp rag, dummy, burp rag!). I don't have any weird piercings or tattos to make me stand out. I don't speak in a foreign accent. I am essentially your standard Frontier demographic - white, blondish, blue-eyed, boringly average.

WIth a look of casual puzzlement, I responded, "Not exactly. I grew up south of here, but I just moved back to The Frontier from the East Coast, why do you ask?"

The assistant manager laughed.

"The Lox," he said. "It's not especially popular among locals."

I smiled. I should have known. The food outs me every time.