We met a rare exception last night, so I did Rubio's job for him [View all]

In Provincetown, MA last night, we decided to “eat street.” There is a fast food place near the harbor that offers decent quality Cape Cod fare—clam chowder, clam strips, scallops, pretty much what you’d expect.

Not readily visible is a small wooden stairway that leads to a patio dining area with good sized tables and chairs. There was a family at the front table, and my wife, who went up first, asked if they could temporarily move their chairs so she could get by. They understood what she wanted, but didn’t understand a word she said. She tried English and German. When I got up there, she asked me to say a word of thanks in “whatever it was they were speaking.” I listened for a few seconds, and was surprised to hear Italian.

I asked them how it was that they had come to visit Provincetown. They said they had flown from Italy to New York, visited New York, then Boston, and then rented a car and traveled the length of Cape Cod, which they had read about. It seemed like at least two families, since there seemed to be more than ten of them. We thought it unusual that none of them understood enough English to communicate, but I speak Italian so I had no problem. My poor wife was left in the dark, of course, but I translated.

I have no idea what their reception was when entering the USA at JFK (that’s Trump International Airport for any Republican members of Congress who might read this), or anywhere else along their trip. In the North End of Boston, you can always find someone who speaks Italian, although in Provincetown you’re better off with Bulgarian (not a joke!). But we had a great little chat, and they were all smiles as they headed off. It’s a rarity to meet up with groups of European tourists who don’t know any English, but it didn’t seem to faze these people at all (good for them!).

From the one thread about Las Vegas, Rubio’s State Department doesn’t seem to consider it a priority to encourage tourism to the USA—apparently Rubio never talks to the Commerce Department or the Treasury Department. But the owners of small food stands in tourist areas sure as hell know how vital visitors are. At least here on Cape Cod, they seem content. We noticed that one shack, known for its pricey (but generous) lobster rolls, had two lines ten people deep out the door. We know from previous years that the owners are from Québec. I guess Cape Cod, lacking the concentration of wealthy Democratic donors found on Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket, is not yet on Trump’s, Noem’s or Gabbard’s radar for cultural and economic destruction.