246 SELLING LATIN AMERICA 
others that he was insulting the Peruvians or 
the proprietor of the hotel. The head waiter 
rushed to me and asked that I ascertain what 
the trouble was. Imagine my surprise when 
my countryman in explanation of his barnyard 
impersonation said: “I was trying to tell 
these durned fools that I wanted ham.” Inci 
dents like these are never forgotten; always 
magnified when told and invariably hurt us 
seriously, socially and otherwise. This little 
affair happening in a foreign country where 
news is scarce was talked of in the hotels, clubs 
and cafes, printed in the journals and illus 
trated in the comic papers. Americans were 
always referred to by each narrator as uncouth 
and the story gone into with great detail and 
precision. Grandparents in Peru one hun 
dred years from now will be telling this yarn 
to their grandchildren. 
I have long ago ceased to wonder at the lack 
of common sense exhibited by some large 
American houses in selecting the type of man 
they employ for Latin America. I recall one 
well known concern in this country sending a