An Amusing Encounter
    I was performing on the Church Street Marketplace in Burlington, Vermont during the summer [of 1998], when one day I noticed an older man was observing me very intently. He did this for about an hour before finally approaching me. He introduced himself (in somewhat grandiose fashion) as Michael Bobaru, a performer of the Romanian nai. Mr. Bobaru is originally from Romania, but he told me he is now based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was a middle-aged man, and he stood a little shorter than average height, with black hair and dark eyes. He was rather ostentatiously dressed all in black, with several large pieces of gold jewelry and shoes of the finest leather. Combined with his grandiose demeanor, the effect of his appearance was reminiscent of one of the movie extras in "The Godfather".

    Mr. Bobaru was very interested in my pan flute, one of the earliest examples of my same-diameter design, which are now my standard pan flutes. He asked to try my pan flute, so I handed it to him. Thirty seconds and many crooked notes later, he handed my flute back to me, obviously embarassed at his failure to play anything cohesive, and told me, "This is nothing but a toy!" I responded by playing "Hora Ca La Caval", a short but fast and complex Romanian shepherd's dance. When I was finished I answered, "Well, that's funny, for a toy it seems to do the job well enough".    -Douglas Bishop

Footnote: This account was originally posted by Douglas Bishop on Panflute Forum, with no intention other than to share the experience with the chat group's members. This post was subsequently deleted from Panflute Forum by that group's moderator, who referred to it as "a questionable post".