What am I? I get asked that question a lot. Am I Russian? Ukrainian? It still amazes me that I get stopped so frequently and asked about my background. Am I that different looking?
So, after work one day I decided to go unwind by getting a drink (non-alcoholic of course) at St. Harry’s bar in the Waldorf Astoria. I love it there. Walking into the Waldorf is like breathing a huge sigh of relief (relief from what, I don’t know, but there you have it). It’s timeless. And I love the oversized, fresh lily bouquet. I love lilies, have I mentioned that? LOVE them; any and all kinds: stargazer, tiger, of the valley, calla, etc. And the fragrance permeates the air and it’s just heavenly. I think Cole Porter really knew what he was doing when he decided to live there. Genius. I would love to walk home to that every day. Anyway, back to my story…So, I decide to go there for a bit. I walk into St. Harry’s bar and grab a table in the back, against the wall. I start crunching on the nuts they have there. What is it about this place that makes everything wonderful? Even the simple nut mix is something I get excited over. I like the almonds and brazil nuts. They have toffee peanuts mixed in there as well and the sweet/salty combination is fantastic. I got a diet coke and sat there sipping and crunching, thoroughly enjoying myself. I was writing in my journal when this man comes up to me and asks “working hard after hours are we?” Assuming he was hitting on me, I curtly reply “no” and turn back to what I was doing. He is a persistent fellow and keeps talking. He is about 50 years old and is bald on top with gray hair around the sides. He was a pleasant sort of old looking though and wore glasses. I wasn’t going to get rid of him, I could see that. Thank goodness I was going to meet some friends for dinner in about 30 minutes so had that excuse. He asks where I was from and I told him Ohio. He starts asking about my ancestry and said he assumed I was Native American. That was a new one. I’ve gotten many things: Russian, Ukrainian, etc. but never Native American and then he threw in another kicker: Asian. I was like, okay, this guy’s off his rocker. But then he found out I was Czech and explained that the high cheekbones and the Asian look came from the Mongolian invasion and that’s where he saw those traits in me. He knew where my light eyes, hair and skin colors came from as well. It turns out he is fascinated with cultures and has studied them since he was a child. I guess there was a black out here (he’s a Native New Yorker) when he was like six years old and he spent the time reading a new set of Encyclopedias (by candlelight) his family had just gotten and ever since then he has learned all he could. He knew so much about Czech history; it was fascinating!! And he was so shocked to learn that I am Mormon because he says that is just so rare to find a Czech who would be Mormon and not Roman Catholic…it’s just not in our blood, he said. It was kind of funny how awestruck he was by that. All in all, it was quite the experience.
So, after work one day I decided to go unwind by getting a drink (non-alcoholic of course) at St. Harry’s bar in the Waldorf Astoria. I love it there. Walking into the Waldorf is like breathing a huge sigh of relief (relief from what, I don’t know, but there you have it). It’s timeless. And I love the oversized, fresh lily bouquet. I love lilies, have I mentioned that? LOVE them; any and all kinds: stargazer, tiger, of the valley, calla, etc. And the fragrance permeates the air and it’s just heavenly. I think Cole Porter really knew what he was doing when he decided to live there. Genius. I would love to walk home to that every day. Anyway, back to my story…So, I decide to go there for a bit. I walk into St. Harry’s bar and grab a table in the back, against the wall. I start crunching on the nuts they have there. What is it about this place that makes everything wonderful? Even the simple nut mix is something I get excited over. I like the almonds and brazil nuts. They have toffee peanuts mixed in there as well and the sweet/salty combination is fantastic. I got a diet coke and sat there sipping and crunching, thoroughly enjoying myself. I was writing in my journal when this man comes up to me and asks “working hard after hours are we?” Assuming he was hitting on me, I curtly reply “no” and turn back to what I was doing. He is a persistent fellow and keeps talking. He is about 50 years old and is bald on top with gray hair around the sides. He was a pleasant sort of old looking though and wore glasses. I wasn’t going to get rid of him, I could see that. Thank goodness I was going to meet some friends for dinner in about 30 minutes so had that excuse. He asks where I was from and I told him Ohio. He starts asking about my ancestry and said he assumed I was Native American. That was a new one. I’ve gotten many things: Russian, Ukrainian, etc. but never Native American and then he threw in another kicker: Asian. I was like, okay, this guy’s off his rocker. But then he found out I was Czech and explained that the high cheekbones and the Asian look came from the Mongolian invasion and that’s where he saw those traits in me. He knew where my light eyes, hair and skin colors came from as well. It turns out he is fascinated with cultures and has studied them since he was a child. I guess there was a black out here (he’s a Native New Yorker) when he was like six years old and he spent the time reading a new set of Encyclopedias (by candlelight) his family had just gotten and ever since then he has learned all he could. He knew so much about Czech history; it was fascinating!! And he was so shocked to learn that I am Mormon because he says that is just so rare to find a Czech who would be Mormon and not Roman Catholic…it’s just not in our blood, he said. It was kind of funny how awestruck he was by that. All in all, it was quite the experience.
2 comments:
The Waldorf Astoria has been on my list for ages! Your post inspired me to figure out exactly where it is, and I'm a little sheepish to admit that it's pretty close to my office! So, yes, I'll be testing out that nut mix myself if the near future.
On another note, I had no idea you were Czech. I will say this, that I really didn't see a resemblance between you and your brother this summer. Kez, you are one of a kind! And that's the best kind! Here's to my Chinese, Native American, and eastern European name twin!
welcome to the wonderful world of bloggin.. maybe we can be friends again.. through our blogs :) .. miss you girl
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