Robin Williams at my friends' business

From a local couple of friends who own a small business and I found it quite interesting while of course saddening. I just noticed it on their facebook and reading it nearly brought tears.

She learned english as an adult, so don't call the grammar-police about it, she's originally from HK.

We are very sad to have lost this great talent, Mr. Robin Williams has touched millions with his humor, his joke and his artistic performance.

In March this year he visited us at the store, that was at time of closing around 6pm, he came in dressed like a fisherman with a bucket hat and phony eyebrow, I could tell who he is at the moment he called for service but I played along and did not say a word.

He sampled our Hamantashen, that was before Purim so I had the test batch lying around, I offered him a sample he ate it and asked me "what happened to these?" As his finger pointed to some hats didn't close tight enough so the jam leaks, I said to him those belongs to me, I'd eat them, you eat the good-looking one, he laughed.

He sampled all of our gluten free bread, liked the cinnamon raisin and the crusty bread, he loved the almond horn cookie. After sampling and chatting for 15 min he finally bought the cinnamon raisin bread, crusty bread, almond horn cookie, NY cheese cake, Vegan Pecan Pie and cupcake. He couldn't get over how good the almond horn tastes and asked me how to make it, I joked and said "I would have to kill you if I tell you." He replied "very funny."

He used a name "Robert Zaxlow" to check out with a beat-up looking credit card. (Good actor, thinking about the details)

I said to him "Mr Zaxlow, you look like a movie star."

"To whom of which you think I look familiar to?" He asked.

"Robin Williams," as I finished his payment and handed him the gluten free goodies" I replied.

"Oh that drunken drug addict how could I look like him? He is a piece of S***." He sways his arms and shaking his head, he talks with these dramatic body movement.

I just speak to him calmly, "Next time when someone say you look like a movie star, you should just say Thank You. It is not neccessary to crticize another person, he is a great actor and he is very talented. " I said to him eye to eye. He sighed with sadness in his eyes. I told him to enjoy the Almond Horns and tell his friends about us. He took our flyer and say goodnight.

May God rest your soul Mr Williams, we'd miss you and have a tray of your favourite Almond Horn cookies ready.

Such a shame. I knew since I was a child that he had a tough childhood which is what inspired his creativity, and I can relate in many ways to him. Through many learning experiences of ups and downs I'm confident that I see something more in life than I did when I was younger, but I can only try to imagine how much the social life of a star can complicate the simple keys to finding true happiness.

Truly wish him peace in the afterlife.

I guess some may think she was just trying to promote her company and fabricated it, but my wife worked with them for over a year and they are very nice honest people, I can't imagine them making this up.

Her comments on their facebook:

I told all my girlfriends about it when it happened, there was another staff at the store at that time she saw him also, I posted on my personal Facebook (not the company one) just after it happened. I didn't tell other customers or publicly on the company's Facebook due to the fact that he came in disguise that means he didn't want to be recognize, otherwise he would come in his regular outfit not dresses like a fisherman. I respected his privacy and did not share publicly before; now that he is gone this little piece of memory could tell us how tough he is on himself. We were talking about him in front of him on a third party's position but that was him criticizing himself. We feel so sad about it. He didn't have to come to the store to spend his own money, he could have Culinary Solution make a delivery, Kravis Ctr would pick up the bill. Yet he came, he sampled many items, asked me about ingredients.

You know there are a few HKers very dear to me, and I can picture the accent and everything, and the last bit there, in their ever self motivating sort of way to say "never sell yourself short" it nearly made me turn girly with "the feels". Something I could totally see taking place. . .

Sad he wouldn't be a regular customer for them years to come.

i could certainly see him self deprecating himself like that, which is sad. considering all of things he's done, all the success and in the end it made no difference to him in regards to his self-esteem.