Wackos

Why do the wackos always come up to me? This is the question I continually ask myself. Why can't nice people come up and have a conversation with me? Instead just the weirdos seem to seek me out.

On Friday I went to the kaiten sushi (rotator belt sushi) and was idly watching the fish go around and around and around, occasionally being distracted by shouts of "irashyaimase" (welcome)and the sushi master slapping individual orders together with a pat of rice, scoop and dab of wasabi and perfect placement of the fish filet. Some man sits down beside me with long, slightly dirty finger nails, wearing a slightly out-dated, slowly going threadbare suit. Then he proceeds to eat by grabbing the sushi with his (dirty) hands, patting it in the soy sauce and shoving it into his mouth.

Suddenly he turns to me and asks if I speak English, and not wanting to be rude, I answer yes. He then proceeds to tell me in a highly arrogant and very un-Japanese fashion how he is a very successful interpreter, and he doesn't just interpret but advises, and oh, I speak Chinese, oh, and German and, and, and. This guy was so full of himself. I tried to shrink into my chair to avoid talking to him, but with no luck. He was on a mission. In fact he wants to write a book with me. How this came about, or why he wants to write a book with me I'm not sure. But this guy was just weird.

Finally, he had a meeting to go to and he left, and I relaxed with the relief of knowing he was gone and that I could finish my lunch in peace. Only he came back into the restaurant. Twice. To tell me more information and ideas about the book we're going to write together. Finally, I could finish my lunch in peace and I slunk out of the front door like a spy on reconnaissance making sure I wouldn't run into him again.

So,looks like I won't be going to that sushi restaurant again. Don't want to run into him again. He gave me the creeps. And here I was trying to be nice thinking I haven't had a random conversation with a stranger in a long time. Ha - now I remember why.