That's Really Super

Friday night I jumped on the bus to go downtown because I had nothing better to do, really. I sometimes like to go down to Paris Baguette and pick up some bread. If you're in Korea and want some yummy (albeit expensive) bread - try their sunflower sourdough loaf. It's perfect toasted - dense and chewy, yum yum!

So I picked up a bit of bread and stopped off for some dinner. I was just about to take my first bite, when three high school girls slid into the empty seats at my table with a jaunty "Helllooooo!"
"Hi!" I said, smiling.
(This is so common - I can count on a shouted "hello" wherever I go. On an average day going to work I hear it about 3 times. The closer I get to my school, though, the more likely I am to hear my name screamed out, instead of the 'hello!')

The girls sitting across from me were giggly and silly and intent on talking to me. I didn't want to be rude, but I really wished they would bug off. My face gets tired smiling, trying to be polite to the curious. I feel a bit like a celebrity - but that's so silly, because all I've got going for me here is my non-Koreanism. These high school girls don't realize that I'm a bonafide rock and roll superstar. In my own mind, I mean.

Anyhow, in my annoyance I suddenly remembered a very similar situation I was in during highschool. In downtown Toronto, my highschool was almost across the street from the posh Sutton Place Hotel, where STARS came to stay. Between my school and the hotel was a breakfast and lunch nook, Zeeve's (which is no more.) But it's where we all hung out in the morning, drinking coffee and eating bagels.

I wonder if my annoyance at my high school dining companions was what Superman felt when we barged in on his breakfast in 1986. How could we not? Who gets to have breakfast with Superman?!?! (He ate Zeeve's big breakfast of eggs, sausages, hashbrowns, and toast.) And he was gracious. And engaging. And politely interested in our sillyness. Granted, I think we communicated a bit better than my recent company did:
"My is,...My is highschool,...is my,...my is test,...is test is bleeeaAAARRRGGHHH"

"Superman's cool," I said in response.
"Huh?"

I stuck one of my MP3 earbuds in my ear, held my finger up in a "wait a minute" gesture and pretended to take a call. "Yo Bo Sayo!"
Then I just repeated "Yah Yah Yah" until they went away.

Poor Superman didn't have the option to fake a conversation in the 80's, bless his heart. But he did let us buy him breakfast!