my table 33 tonight was from hamburg, germany. i knew they were foreign because of their accent, but i couldn’t quite tell from where until we began conversing. it was an older couple. the husband had a head full of white hair, and his wife had barely started. he asks where i’m from, which has been a question i’ve been getting frequently as of late. i tell him i’m cambodian, which is southeastern asian. he responds by saying i’m dark for an asian, then informs me he knows about the khmer rouge and the killing fields. we then speak on our cultures for a few minutes before he reveals he’s here for the solar eclipse. i didn’t know how serious the solar eclipse was, but people are really traveling. it had me thinking perhaps i’m lucky to live in the area. they left shortly thereafter, leaving not only a very kind tip, but an impression as i was impressed, because people rarely know about the killing fields.
-ratha, 8:22pm, 8.16.17