Shy or Polite?

As most of you know I love to cook. I love all things culinary, including TV cooking shows such as, "Chopped", "Cutthroat Kitchen", and "Top Chef." I have favorite contestants and root them on. I've even had chances to eat at some of their restaurants. One of my favorite chefs is C. J. Jacobson or BigCeej as he's known on Instagram and Twitter. I was excited when we moved to L.A. because he had just opened a restaurant there and was hoping we could go for my birthday or something. Just a few months after we got there, C. J. got an opportunity to work with Rich Melman's "Lettuce Entertain You" group back here in Chicago. He did so well, he opened a restaurant back here in Chicago. Now that I have moved back to the city, I have been waiting to eat at his new place "Ema" and maybe catch a glimpse of him or get a picture with him and also to taste his delicious food.

Now here's the funny, hand to head moment that happened to me last Tuesday night. I had finished my evening shift on the boat and walked to the corner of Grand/Rush to catch the Grand Avenue bus home. The bus comes around 10pm and it's not too crowded so I grab a seat in the back and listen to my music and unwind from the day. I don't usually pay much attention to the other people getting on or off the bus, but 3 stops after I got on, a very tall (over 6' 5") man gets on the bus. I look because he is so tall, I also look because I'll be damned if it isn't C. J. Jacobson himself! He walks the length of the bus and sits down directly across from me. I am rendered speechless. In my mind I'm going through what to do next, do I stare at him until he looks at me? Do I tap him on the shoulder? Do I sneak a picture of him? Do I scream out "OH MY GOD I LOVE YOU!?" But I didn't do anything. He was also listening to music on his phone and busy texting. I really, really, really, really wanted to say something but I couldn't. Sure, I could talk to Derek Hough at Dancing With The Stars, I could say "Hi" to Jon Hamm in the hallway at CBS before a taping of the Craig Ferguson show, but a cooking idol? I was silent. He stayed on the bus for longer than I thought and even though he was right in front of me when he was waiting to get off at a stop, I still stayed silent. When he left, I spent the rest of my bus ride shaking my head and smiling. I also sent a tweet out saying I thought he was on my bus and that I hate being shy...he retweeted it a few hours later.

Relaying this story to others, trying to get feedback on whether or not I was stupid or shy or crazy, most people said I actually did the right thing. I was actually being respectful. C. J. Jacobson is a person, just like everyone else and he was riding the bus, just like everyone else. Had he been in his restaurant or at a book signing, then THAT would have been the time to show my admiration or ask for a photo. This time he was just another Chicagoan, riding the Grand Avenue bus, texting friends and listening to music, trying to get someplace on a Tuesday night.