OT: While at WDW a couple of weeks ago, my husband and I hung out with a fellow DISer most days. We got into a discussion about men wearing hats in restaurants. We finally figured it must be a southern thing. Like yours my husband is lost without his hat. While we were down there we got to really paying attention and our friend was shocked at the number of men wearing hats in restaurants. She said that up north it is considered ill bred and rude and you just don't see it. Since we've been home, we've eaten out alot and since it was brought to our attention, I've started paying attention. In every single restaurant almost every man in the restaurant has been wearing a cap.

I'm at work right now and even though I work inside every one of my male PNAs are wearing hats, as do the men that work the other two shifts.

In this area, a man's cap doesn't come off until he goes to bed or takes a shower.

Now really nice restaurants are an exception of course, but at the fast food places, Mexican restaurants, Chinese restaurants, places like Joe's crabshack, local steak houses, TGI Fridays, Applebees, Denny's, etc everyone wears a hat.

We were at Saltgrass Steak House the other night (a very good local steak house that easily beats any steak house in Disney

) and every man in there had a hat on.
Also off topic: about a year ago my husband and I ate at Artist Point. I had to remind him to leave his cap in the room. As we walked out, he automatically reached for it and I had to remind him again to leave it. He apologized and said it was just a habit. Once we got to Artist Point there was a group of six checking in just ahead of us. All three men were told by the hostess that they'd have to remove their hats. They did so. We were seated right across from them. One of them (a young man in his early 30's) automatically put his hat back on. The CM that seats you came by and reminded him to take it off. He apologized and did so, but just a few minutes later, reached down, got it and put it on again. After seating a group, the CM stopped by again and again asked him to take it off. The poor guy was so embarrassed, apologized again, and said it was just a habit and he felt naked without his hat. Before the end of the meal, he again put his hat on. The CM came by, again seating people, gave him a dirty look, but didn't say anything. Instead he went and got a manager, who told the guy he had to leave his hat off. Everyone at his table (as well as my husband and I) laughed. He was so embarrassed, but said he just couldn't seem to help reaching for it as he never took it off. After the manager walked away, my husband leaned over and said, "you must be a southerner". He admitted he was and felt naked out in public without his cap. He said he was really trying to leave it on the floor, but his hand just automatically kept reaching for it. His poor wife, finally reached down and placed it on the other side of her chair, where he couldn't reach it. lol