Meeting of the Minds
“Smile your little smile,
Sip some beer (i.e. tea) with me awhile;
Brush away that black cloud from your shoulder…”
--Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull from the song “One Brown Mouse” from the LP Heavy Horses, 1978.
The older I have grown, the more I believe in the chance meetings of people that truly make the world smaller than it is.
Tonight, Jon of Medici’s emailed me about picking up an OCTOBERFEST mug. The mug is filled with beer (and trust me, it is filled with 40 plus ounces of beer for $15.00 and as a patron I kept the mug) that is a bargain at any price because it has the Medici’s logo on it. As a true Wednesday Warrior (the beer club that I was the THIRD participant of) I felt the necessity to partake in the festivities.
While I sat at the bar, I was noticing these four folks to my right. The man closest to me was studying the various Unibrou beers.
I said to this kind man that the La Fin Du Monde was my favorite and he spoke in a heavy German accent to me as he said “I cannot get this in Canada, which is where I live.”
After beer chat (he was drinking the Old Rasputin Stout and I recommended the Thelonius Monk or the Alpha Kings) he chatted with me about his accent. His name is Peter, he was born in Austria, he has traveled the world over as a civil engineer, he married his wife who was from Canada, his wife’s sister married a man from Normal and they were here for a visit, the man his wife’s sister married was a math teacher in town who knew Uncle Dan and the former Canadian wife was a secretary in Normal’s district and knew Dan and Aunt Dar, and he loved Illinois. We chatted about travel, Europe, the ways of life, the universe and everything. He was an engaging conversationalist.
Jen’s grandfather recently passed and I was invited to the family gathering in Minier for dinner at a German restaurant. Peter mentioned it and I told him I had just been there for the first time and loved the food. Peter commented that it was the best German food he had ever had in the United States.
Jen’s family is German and they have a fondness for German food.
He mentioned the dish he had, which was the same Jen ate Thursday evening, complete with red cabbage. Mine had Sauerkraut, two types of German Sausage, and pork tenderloin. Peter commented on the beers and we had a fun and frank discussion on the best Weizen’s from Germany.
As Peter told me about the Alps, and Munich, the French beaches, and England (which I knew a bit about), I thought this was one of the rare and fun moments in time. Peter has been retired for nine years and he has seen much. He commented on how the United States and Canada were essentially the same. He talked of his past and seeing sights I can only dream of seeing.
His food arrived and I wished to interrupt these good people no further, although they offered me a portion of their pizza. I politely declined.
I readied myself to leave, offered my hand to Peter and thanked him for his engaging conversation. “Peter,” I said, “You are truly a gentleman. Thank you for your conversation and your kindness.”
“Eric,” he said, “you are a gentleman as well. We would be great friends if I were younger or you were older. I respect your profession and your kindness. I wish you well my young friend. You have a good heart and a strong mind.”
Lesson learned: whenever we think ill of the world, we meet folks who make us understand what a glorious place it is. The world is truly smaller today, and I think my meeting was inspired by fate.
Thank you, Peter.
Sip some beer (i.e. tea) with me awhile;
Brush away that black cloud from your shoulder…”
--Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull from the song “One Brown Mouse” from the LP Heavy Horses, 1978.
The older I have grown, the more I believe in the chance meetings of people that truly make the world smaller than it is.
Tonight, Jon of Medici’s emailed me about picking up an OCTOBERFEST mug. The mug is filled with beer (and trust me, it is filled with 40 plus ounces of beer for $15.00 and as a patron I kept the mug) that is a bargain at any price because it has the Medici’s logo on it. As a true Wednesday Warrior (the beer club that I was the THIRD participant of) I felt the necessity to partake in the festivities.
While I sat at the bar, I was noticing these four folks to my right. The man closest to me was studying the various Unibrou beers.
I said to this kind man that the La Fin Du Monde was my favorite and he spoke in a heavy German accent to me as he said “I cannot get this in Canada, which is where I live.”
After beer chat (he was drinking the Old Rasputin Stout and I recommended the Thelonius Monk or the Alpha Kings) he chatted with me about his accent. His name is Peter, he was born in Austria, he has traveled the world over as a civil engineer, he married his wife who was from Canada, his wife’s sister married a man from Normal and they were here for a visit, the man his wife’s sister married was a math teacher in town who knew Uncle Dan and the former Canadian wife was a secretary in Normal’s district and knew Dan and Aunt Dar, and he loved Illinois. We chatted about travel, Europe, the ways of life, the universe and everything. He was an engaging conversationalist.
Jen’s grandfather recently passed and I was invited to the family gathering in Minier for dinner at a German restaurant. Peter mentioned it and I told him I had just been there for the first time and loved the food. Peter commented that it was the best German food he had ever had in the United States.
Jen’s family is German and they have a fondness for German food.
He mentioned the dish he had, which was the same Jen ate Thursday evening, complete with red cabbage. Mine had Sauerkraut, two types of German Sausage, and pork tenderloin. Peter commented on the beers and we had a fun and frank discussion on the best Weizen’s from Germany.
As Peter told me about the Alps, and Munich, the French beaches, and England (which I knew a bit about), I thought this was one of the rare and fun moments in time. Peter has been retired for nine years and he has seen much. He commented on how the United States and Canada were essentially the same. He talked of his past and seeing sights I can only dream of seeing.
His food arrived and I wished to interrupt these good people no further, although they offered me a portion of their pizza. I politely declined.
I readied myself to leave, offered my hand to Peter and thanked him for his engaging conversation. “Peter,” I said, “You are truly a gentleman. Thank you for your conversation and your kindness.”
“Eric,” he said, “you are a gentleman as well. We would be great friends if I were younger or you were older. I respect your profession and your kindness. I wish you well my young friend. You have a good heart and a strong mind.”
Lesson learned: whenever we think ill of the world, we meet folks who make us understand what a glorious place it is. The world is truly smaller today, and I think my meeting was inspired by fate.
Thank you, Peter.
posted by Eric Sweetwood at 5:00 PM
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