No Habla Espanol

On Sunday the heat was on hell! My boyfriend works and lives in a very cute and quaint section of DC called Adam's Morgan. He was working a double shift on that day so I decided to do something a little romantic. A picnic lunch was in order so I decided to walk up to the strip to see what restaurants were open. Not many. It was only 2pm on a Sunday. Fortunately there was a Spanish restaurant open on the corner. I don't normally eat Spanish food because it gives me heart burn but I viewed it as a saving grace. So I stood outside and read the menu they had posted on the door. After deciding the selection looked good I proceeded to enter the restaurant. It was a cute and cozy place with a very small eating area and a bar located on the back wall. I entered and proceeded to walk to the bar to ask for a takeout menu when I was met with the weirdest reaction.

There were four gentlemen sitting at the bar, three were older and there was a younger guy. They all turn and look at me as I walked in and started praising the heavens. They were all speaking in Spanish as they turned to me and one gentleman came over and grabbed my hand and kissed it. WTF is going on? Was I on Funniest Videos or Candid Camera? I looked at them all, including the bartender, who was female, and said, "No comprendo, no habla espanol." I do know that much. So the younger guy proceeds to translate for me. He says that these gentlemen are his uncles and they were just admiring my beauty. Then the older gentleman that kissed my hand said that he had traveled all over the world and had never seen anyone as beautiful as myself. WOW. Once again, is this a prank? And furthermore, do these guys know that I'm not Spanish? Do they realize they are talking to a 100% black woman? He continues on by saying something about the world cup and how it was a celebration. I would be rude if I did not partake in the celebration by having a drink. That explained their unexpected outburst earlier. So I obliged and had a glass of Chardonnay. What the hell. It was hot outside and I really needed the drink. So I sit at the bar, feeling a little awkward from what just happened and ordered my food. As I am waiting, the guys kept saying how they had never seen anyone so beautiful. I was flattered, trust me, but it was starting to get annoying. I sat there and had a brief conversation with the younger gentleman because his English was good, but the uncles English, very broken. As he came over to speak to me, I found myself trying to hard to understand what he was saying through the accent and the slurring.

After about 15-20 minutes of me waiting for my food, it finally arrived. I quickly paid the bartender and proceeded to get up to leave the restaurant. I got up, reached out to shake their hand and congratulated them on the soccer game. As I did, the entire restaurant stood up and began to applaud as I walked out the door. THE ENTIRE RESTAURANT! Once again, WTF? This is weird. I've never experienced anything like that in my life.

Once I got home, I told my boyfriend and he was grinning from ear to ear. He was like, "Wow, I love that you get that reaction. You are beautiful!" That's my baby, so sweet and always knows the right things to say.

I also told a co-worker and she said, "They must have thought you were someone famous!" I told her I didn't think so to which she followed with, "Well, now you know what celebrity feels like."

It felt great no doubt, but I definitely couldn't see getting used to that on a regular bases! They can have the celebrity. As far as the compliment and sentiment, I was undone and very appreciative. Because I wholeheartedly agree with him, women of color are beautiful.