I am no longer sure what classifies one as a celebrity but for the purpose of this post, I am expanding it to include reality TV personalities such as Hung Hyun. Hung is the Season 3 winner of Top Chef Miami and I had the pleasure of seeing him yesterday afternoon (he’s one of my favorite contestants). He was departing a crowded D train that I was waiting to board and struggling with what looked to be a heavy bag (of cooking ingredients?).He was dressed casually in a beige t-shirt and jeans and his hair is exactly the same. My fellow straphangers and I watched for what felt like a full minute for him to make his way through the crowd and allow us to board. He kept his head down most of the way but when he did look up, there is no mistaking that it was him. I wish I had thought to ask him for the name of his restaurant but oh well. I’m glad to see he hasn’t gotten too big to ride the trains.This brief encounter with Hung reminded me of some of the other close encounters that I’ve had with celebrities. There was Don Cheadle, also riding the train, years ago around the time Hotel Rwanda came out. There were only a handful of people in our car so I had an unobstructed view of him. He pulled his hat low and kept his head down when he caught me staring at him. I guess keeping the head low is typical celebrity behavior. At the West Indian parade 3 or 4 years ago, Buju Banton was sitting on a truck and ducked his head when he saw that I was trying to take his picture with my phone. He didn’t look up for a long time and by then, the truck had already moved beyond my camera phone’s reach. He is still my favorite reggae artist though. Much more recently 50 Cent came to my office and seemed very pleasant in that he kept his head held high and even smiled when he caught me staring at him. I guess he couldn’t exactly avoid me as I was standing in the hallway, specifically waiting for him to exit the bathroom. Of course, since I work in a professional environment I conducted myself accordingly. I’m sure these guys have all appreciated my restraint but maybe next time I see a celebrity, I’ll at least say hello.
