The Rules of a Bobby Flay Book Signing

This may make me sound like a complete idiot, but I think I stopped caring about that a long time ago.

Did you know that you are required to BUY the book being promoted at a a book signing? You cannot bring a book by the same author that you have purchased previously.

Or at least this is what went down yesterday at the Bobby Flay book signing.

We were in line with our Boy Meets Grill cookbook in tow. Luckily, Robert asked a Borders employee if it was okay if we had another cookbook for Bobby to sign that wasn't his new "Throwdown Cookbook". He told us that it was NOT okay. Bobby requires that you buy this new cookbook for him to sign. pppppfffffffttttttt.

I don't want a free ride. I obviously support Bobby Flay which is evident in the cookbook that I currently own. We did consider buying his new book and standing in the ridiculously long line, but we didn't for several reasons.

1. We're not cheap (okay, maybe sometimes we are) but there are MANY other books that we want to buy before we get Bobby's new cookbook. 

2. I've no doubt that it's good cookbook, but I also know those recipes can be found on foodnetwork.com. 

3. This particular book signing kind of made Robert and I feel bad about ourselves. Looking around at the crowd, you think am I like them? eeeeeehhhhh. Are we judgmental? We are human beings, so yes.

After the decision was made that we weren't going to hop on the Bobby Flay bandwagon, we thought that we would still stick around to just see Bobby and maybe snap a picture of him from afar. I mean, might as well, we were all the way at Preston and Royal. While we were waiting for him to come out, we started wandering around Borders and lo and behold who should we see being interviewed by someone?? Bobby Flay himself. 

This is when I started getting weird and kind of nervous. I wanted to get out my camera and just paparazzi everywhere, but I decided to "stay cool". Pretend I was looking at books while still lingering in the vicinity. It was so odd to hear his voice in person. I think that's what got me! I mean, I hear his voice a lot, since we watch him so much. I was standing behind a tall bookshelf just listening to him being interviewed where I couldn't see him and violently whispered to Robert to come over by me and hear his voice. Robert wasn't really geeking out the same way that I was. 

After Bobby was done with his interview, he was ushered over to the side, right in front of Robert and I by his publicist to sign a book for a mentally handicapped boy and his mother and sister. This is when I snapped this picture. 

Back of Bobby Flay in the middle. Robert's blurred chin and polo shirt to the left. Mentally handicapped boy to the right.

I watched Bobby sign his book, chat briefly with the family and take a picture with them and go into back room of Borders. That about concludes our attempt to meet this culinary giant. Robert said at best what would have happened is that we bought the book, met him, had witty conversation with him and took an awesome picture with him. The odds of all of that happening had we given ourselves that chance are probably not so good. I don't regret our decision to bale on Bobby and I'm not peeved that it was required to buy the book. I mean, I'm sure he deals with enough weirdos who feel like they know him. So at least he knows that the weirdos at the book signings are making him richer? I don't know how that works? One last thing, Bobby is TINY! Yes, TINY, I said it. Probably as skinny as Robert but a little shorter than me! They make him look so much taller and bigger on TV. Not to shocking, I suppose, but just weird to see him and not be what you expect!

Keep you posted on any other celeb sightings we encounter :)