Chicago in French

We ate lunch at a place called The Bistro Zinc.  It was a charming little french restaurant owned by a charming little woman.  While chatting with her, my studying at Second City came up and from there I learned that Stephen Colbert used to work for her.  

I was delighted by this because Stephen Colbert is one of my personal heroes.  

She told me a little bit about his background, as far as she remembered.

He came from a huge Irish Catholic family that naturally lived in a loud and boisterous home, until it was abruptly silenced by the death of his dad and brothers.  From that point on, his skills as a comedian were honed by an endless effort to make his mom smile.  He had told her very candidly about his past, and while he worked for her, she knew him as a sweet, funny man and a devoted father.  He sounded like a good egg to me, and my admiration for him felt reaffirmed by this personal account.  She told me I had excellent taste in role models. :-)

While my mom was in the restroom of this same establishment, a woman tried to start up a conversation with her in French.  The woman asked her (in French) if she enjoyed her meal.  My mom just giggled and blushed until the woman translated for her.  When she got back to our table, my mom said she wished I was the one to talk to the lady because I would have enjoyed it.  I thought about this.  If my French tests last semester are any indication, the only French response I could have given the woman would have translated too, "Yes.  And I wear blue pants."

If the detailed account of the eating tour is a little too food oriented at the moment, I apologize, just know it won't last.  I honestly wish it could, but in a few days when my parents head back to California, I will be switching back to the starving college kid food plan which won't be interesting enough to write about... unless I find a way to make Top Ramen taste like a Spinach Brie Crepe...

The rest of the day was spent continuing the apartment search until the evening when I went over to meet some friends of a close friend back home.  They were delightful people, and gave me a glimpse of what it will feel like here when I am no longer in "vacation mode."