Photo by ekelly80Welcome back to Overheard in D.C., DCist’s weekly column of funny, strange and poignant things that our readers and staff overhear and send in. We’ve been doing it since 2006, so check out the archives here.
Despite what folks from New York might say, D.C. has developed quite a food scene lately, with popular restaurants, celebrity chefs and endless Spike Mendelsohn puns. But maybe not everybody is as impressed.
Overheard of the Week
In Logan Circle in the morning:
A 30-something couple with two kids is getting breakfast at a coffee shop and discussing all the new restaurants in the area.
Man: “There’s only five good chefs in D.C.”
Woman: “Yeah, and four of them are José Andrés.”
After the jump, government types, tourist types and intern types.
Overheard in D.C. relies on you to send in the good stuff to our special Overheard in D.C. email address. Make sure you tell us who was talking, to whom, where, when and in what context, otherwise we’ll have to email you back.
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Welcome to D.C.
In a government building’s auditorium on May 28:
An agency head, speaking at a meeting of all employees: “I have no intention of micromanaging what you do. I will leave that with your senior leaders.”
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It’s just pictures of poop
Saturday afternoon in Dupont Circle:
Three men in their 40s are talking.
Man to the other two: “… so they know my dog has a Facebook.”
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No thanks
Two mid-20s men in snazzy business suits walking around food trucks in Farragut Square during a busy lunch hour:
Man 1: “We really need to find a way to make ‘Fergalicious’ relevant to the general public again.”
Man 2 nods in solemn agreement.
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Fame
In the Comet Ping Pong restroom line:
Guy: “So, are you here to see the Woggles?”
Woggles drummer, Dan Elektro: “Yep.”
Guy: “Should be a great show!”
Woggles drummer, Dan Elektro: “Yep.”
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Don’t get too close to the building
A small group of tourists walking past the U.S. Department of Energy at 2 p.m. on May 23:
Man: “What’s that, the Department of Energy? What do they do there?”
Woman: “Energy stuff.”
Man: “Where do they produce it? They don’t make it all there do they?”
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Modern life
Tuesday evening in Cleveland Park:
Three 30-something women are hiding from the rain. One woman is insisting she needs a handy man to help build stuff at her house. Another woman tells her she seems to be describing a house boy.
Woman No. 1: “For most of human history people have had house boys. I’m not the anomaly here.”
Later…
Woman No. 1: “I only threw the sex thing in there as a concession to the 21st century.”
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Options are good
At 13th and F streets NW:
A homeless man is siting near the corner calling out to pedestrians with a distinctive high voice.
Homeless man: “Spare a penny please! Spare a penny please! Spare a penny please!
Caramel frappe or apple pie!”
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Sneaky
At night in Ballston:
Two drunk “frat” bros are walking down a street from the bars in Ballston.
One says to the other: “Let’s check underwear, because mine is clean and yours is (unintelligible).”
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Sometimes kids are alright
During the Poplar Spring 5K run for the animals in Wheaton:
Seven-year-old girl to friend, while running: “My mouth is so … sleep-deprived.”
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And finally, a story of the wheels of government
At Bullfeathers a couple of weeks ago on a recess day for the House:
A young guy runs out of the restaurant after two men.
Young guy: “CHAIRMAN CAMP!! CHAIRMAN CAMP!!”
The man he’s yelling after looks more like Mr. Strickland from Back to the Future (bald) than Congressman Dave Camp (not bald.)
He proceeds to ask both of the men if either of them are Chairman Camp.
Mr. Strickland replies: “What?”
The young man repeats himself.
Mr. Strickland decides to play along: “Oh yeah. I’m totally him.” Shakes the young guys hand.
Sadly, he could not keep up the bit and told the young man that he was actually messing with him. Young man proceeds to walk away with a defeated look on his face.
