Unexpected Lunch Guest
A few days ago, I was planning to meet a friend at a coffee shop. I got on the bus and went downtown. I was about an hour early and thought that I could use the time to catch up on some work. Then something struck me – I hadn’t eaten lunch. Lately I have been very busy, and sometimes I forget to eat. So, I decided to visit the Golden Arches which was near the coffee shop.
I went in, ordered, sat down, and began eating. (In case you’re wondering, McDonald’s taste the same here as it does in the States.) I was eating and reading, and then I noticed a woman come in and sit down at a table in front of me. She did not order anything, and she had a strange look on her face. She looked at all of the people sitting in the immediate vicinity. She studied them closely about a minute for each person. Then came my turn. I could feel her eyes on me, and at first I tried to ignore it. I am used to being stared at because there aren’t too many foreigners in this town. Soon, minutes began to pass, and I became very uncomfortable. I looked up at her, but she didn’t look away. I made several different discreet gestures with my eyes and head, but I could not shake her gaze. She wasn’t smiling or glaring. She just had an expressionless look. I finally gave up and went back to reading.
A moment later, she got up from her table and came and sat down in front of me at my table. I looked at her strangely and let out a confused, “Hello.” She said something in very broken Chinese. I couldn’t make it out. It wasn’t standard Mandarin, and I was sure that it wasn’t the local dialect. I responded by saying that I didn’t understand. As I was speaking, she picked up my glass and started drinking. She probably drank a quarter of its contents. I couldn’t hide my shock. I looked around and saw that everyone else had similar looks of shock, amazement, and even terror. I knew it had to be unusual because Chinese people often try to hide their emotions, and not allow their faces to express what they are thinking. I looked back at her; she had not broken eye contact the entire time she was drinking. She then put the glass down, got up, and walked out the door.
I was speechless, and I couldn’t prevent my mouth from remaining open. I looked around again at the people sitting near me. They had not moved and their expressions also remained the same. I then returned to my senses, and recognized the practical joke opportunity that was in front of me. I pretended to shrug off the incident. I ate another fry, and then picked up the glass, as if to take a drink. Everyone gasped, and three of them stood up. One boy started to run to my table to try to stop me, bumping into a chair as he came. I then stopped moving the glass closer to my face and put it back down on the table. I then smiled and looked around at them. They all started laughing.
I finished eating, and then got up and left. As I was walking away, I was contemplating the incident. I suspected that the girl was autistic. I spoke with a friend later about the incident, and from my description he seemed to think she had Asperger’s Autism. I only wished that she was able to communicate a little better. I would have given her the glass.
"Taken out of context I must seem so strange."
-Ani Difranco
I went in, ordered, sat down, and began eating. (In case you’re wondering, McDonald’s taste the same here as it does in the States.) I was eating and reading, and then I noticed a woman come in and sit down at a table in front of me. She did not order anything, and she had a strange look on her face. She looked at all of the people sitting in the immediate vicinity. She studied them closely about a minute for each person. Then came my turn. I could feel her eyes on me, and at first I tried to ignore it. I am used to being stared at because there aren’t too many foreigners in this town. Soon, minutes began to pass, and I became very uncomfortable. I looked up at her, but she didn’t look away. I made several different discreet gestures with my eyes and head, but I could not shake her gaze. She wasn’t smiling or glaring. She just had an expressionless look. I finally gave up and went back to reading.
A moment later, she got up from her table and came and sat down in front of me at my table. I looked at her strangely and let out a confused, “Hello.” She said something in very broken Chinese. I couldn’t make it out. It wasn’t standard Mandarin, and I was sure that it wasn’t the local dialect. I responded by saying that I didn’t understand. As I was speaking, she picked up my glass and started drinking. She probably drank a quarter of its contents. I couldn’t hide my shock. I looked around and saw that everyone else had similar looks of shock, amazement, and even terror. I knew it had to be unusual because Chinese people often try to hide their emotions, and not allow their faces to express what they are thinking. I looked back at her; she had not broken eye contact the entire time she was drinking. She then put the glass down, got up, and walked out the door.
I was speechless, and I couldn’t prevent my mouth from remaining open. I looked around again at the people sitting near me. They had not moved and their expressions also remained the same. I then returned to my senses, and recognized the practical joke opportunity that was in front of me. I pretended to shrug off the incident. I ate another fry, and then picked up the glass, as if to take a drink. Everyone gasped, and three of them stood up. One boy started to run to my table to try to stop me, bumping into a chair as he came. I then stopped moving the glass closer to my face and put it back down on the table. I then smiled and looked around at them. They all started laughing.
I finished eating, and then got up and left. As I was walking away, I was contemplating the incident. I suspected that the girl was autistic. I spoke with a friend later about the incident, and from my description he seemed to think she had Asperger’s Autism. I only wished that she was able to communicate a little better. I would have given her the glass.
"Taken out of context I must seem so strange."
-Ani Difranco
Comments
It is REALLY STRANGE!!!I wish I had been there~~