Thursday, February 21, 2008

What We Don't Have in America #11

#11 The Prevalence of the Murse (a.k.a. Man-Purse)


I snapped this picture while Edna and I were in Kyiv today to pick up her new passport. I wanted a picture of the Ukrainian restaurant that serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but I noticed the prime example of a murse that I had captured and knew I needed to write a post about it. Now, you can find a murse or mag (a.k.a. Man-Bag) in the U.S., but they're way more popular and socially acceptable for the average man to tote around here in Ukraine.

Murses come in a wide selection of styles and colors. For the sleek style of a businessman, they come in varying shiny leather finishes in a compact clutch version. I once saw a well dressed businessman waiting outside a hotel sporting a fancy clutch model complete with rhinestones on the latch. My first thought was, "Yep, I know the feeling. I can't count the times Edna has left me holding her purse outside of a store while she ran in to look at something". I was starting to feel sorry for him until three of his male companions emerged from the hotel all carrying similar clutches.

Murses also come in more sporting versions made of rugged nylon material with handy outer pockets for your cell phone. I happen to have a camera case that bears a striking resemblance to a murse. So much so, that when I attended a cultural event, two different people asked me if I had remembered to bring my camera even though I was carrying it in its case around my neck. I have to admit that it is pretty handy for carrying bus money and loose change, but for now I'm still going to refer to it as a camera case rather than my man-bag.

For the record, they're still more manly than a fanny-pack.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

International man bags...awesome!

Greg and Edna Silva said...

ODMB,
I checked out your blog. Cool concept. I'm all for man bags as long as they are of the hands free type. They seem to carry better than a backpack when bulky winter clothing comes into play and are more comfortable in hot summer weather. I think the name "Man Pack" has a better ring to it. What do you think?

Ira said...

Greg,
you saved me some time and money when I was reading your Murse post instead of me going to the gym and working out... Yes, I was rolling on the floor again =))

Greg and Edna Silva said...

Ira,
I'm glad you liked the post. It takes forever to post stuff with a dial-up connection, but I'm going to try to keep them coming. So until then, "You have permission to withdraw now." -A.H.

-Greg