26. Tex Mex

As you may have deduced from the absence of posts the last few days, Paris was not all too kind to me. But no matter - Meet a Stranger a Day is a learning experience, and even though I would have greatly enjoyed a chat with a Parisian and am disappointed to have missed out, I did learn a lot. First, language is important. Although I had concocted an introduction in French to the best of my abilities, I kept stumbling over the pronunciation; and so, by the time I had arrived at explaining what I was trying to do, my vis-à-vis had usually already lost patience. Also, I believe that it is helpful if I appear somewhat self-confident - which is probably not the first adjective to come to mind when presented with a stuttering, language-mangling tourist. And second, the difficulty of crowds: meeting a stranger is easiest if the density of people on the street is just right; a few passers-by give security to the people I approach - but too many, and the encounter becomes an obstruction. In Paris, where I needed optimal conditions, it appears that at no time and in no place does the crowd disperse.

Back in Zurich, and after a couple of days off, I had no trouble getting back on track. After having taken several long-exposure warm-up pictures in my neighbourhood, I took a short stroll through the old town, and struck gold on my first attempt. I met Tex Mex in front of a cinema, where he had just bought tickets, and invited him to a cup of coffee. Even though his Swiss-German is excellent, we felt most comfortable chatting in English, and the twenty minutes we had until the start of his film went in a flash.

It was too dark in the bar for my camera's auto-focus to work, and so I suggested to take a couple of shots just outside the well-lit cinema, where his friend was already waiting. I took 8 pictures, but I had misjudged the lighting, and most of them turned out to be unsatisfactory. Through sheer luck and careful cropping I was able to salvage one that shows quite well Tex Mex's attentive openness and aplomb.

Tex Mex: thanks for your time and your good wishes - I hope tonight's was another decision not regretted. All the best!