While on vacation here in Amsterdam, I visited The Cow, a small bar/cafe outside Leidseplein, to have a dinner and a few drinks with my family. The place was crawling with young people, as is most of Amsterdam. While waiting for a table in the restaurant down below, one of these young people passed by and asked me if I was a foreigner. I admitted I was and asked him how he could tell. “People reading skills” he told me. We shared a laugh and our table was finally called. After dinner, a delicious Ostrich steak cooked medium rare and covered in a delicious white sauce, I waited outside for my family to finish up. Just then, the guy who commented on my foreign appearance stepped outside for a cigarette. We started up a casual conversation and within minutes I discovered he was a professional poker player. It didn’t take long for us to start talking about Two Plus Two which lead to From Busto to Robusto. He said he was aware of the project, was a big fan and was pleased to meet me, once I told him who I was. We had a nice chat, but I had to cut it short, as we were already late for a Avatar (which ended up being sold out anyway).
It was pretty exciting and completely unexpected to meet a FBTR fan at some random bar in Amsterdam. I felt like a mini-celebrity. Ego-stroking aside, it makes me realize just how many people our tiny, little project has reached…God Bless the Internet.