Chipmunk Girl

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My friend S. and I were buying falafel sandwiches and she laughed when the Halal vendor started chatting with me, because she knows I am shy about new people but strangers chat me up all the time anyway. (He was a good looking Egyptian guy who asked if I was Arab. When I told him no, Chilean-American, he said, "Ah, well that's close enough.") As I told S., I think strangers talk to me in public because I'm a little chubby, so I seem pleasant in a non-threatening way. Also, I have little chipmunk cheeks when I smile, which makes me look friendly I guess. (I inherited my cheeks from my dad, so I don't mind them at all!) I don't really aspire to be the person stranges talk to, but I have to admit I do meet some very interesting people that way! This halal guy is 30, owns several carts, graduated from Alexandria University and was a teacher there and here, but he makes more money with the carts. I loved hearing his story about how he ended up selling halal food in Union Square.

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