(I would like to relate a story that belongs in this thread, and which may pertain to some of the commenters.)
When i was in yeshiva in E”Y about three years ago, I had eaten a seuda by Hagoan Harav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita. The experience was something that I wish everyone can experience, for it is hard to explain in words the palpable kedusha that was felt in the air. It was a friday night seuda, and by R’ Chaim Shlita on Shabbos most of the lights are not on. In the dining room there is one light bulb near the door that stays on. (The reason for this minhag is spoken about). Throughout the seuda the grandchildren and other guests of R’ Chaim Shlita were asking questions, mainly in regards to halacha. I was quiet for a while, but then started getting more comfortable, and felt a little left out of the fun. I reminded myself of a side sugya i was learning, it was about birchas mezonos. There is a halacha that if there is any mezonos in a food, even a minority, one makes a mezonos on that food (except if it is hamotzi). So the question arrises with shnitzel (chicken cutlets) , if the beracha should be mezonos. So i asked R’ Chaim in yiddish “what beracha does one make on shnitzel,” he looks up and asked, “Vos is shintzel, ich vais nisht vos dos is” (what is shnitzel)? Now that is amazing that someone in EY does not know what shnitzel is!
Another amazing story from that seuda came right after the seuda when R’ Chaim left left the dining room, the three bachurim including myself stayed to thank the Rebitzen Aleha Hashalom, and as was her custom, throughout her life she always praised and expressed reverence for her husband. Then also she related a story that happened not long before we came. The first part of the story happened many years before, and is known by many. She related that first. As R’ Chaim was writing a sefer on chagavim (locust), He realized that he was missing the identification of a single chagav. He did all he could to try to find the specifications, his daughter was asked to check with sciences, but to avail. Before the Shabbos seuda that week, that chagav was sitting there on the table. Harav Chaim studied it and thus was able to finish his sefer!
The Rebitzen continued, there was a kollel in Bnei Brak that was learning the sugya of chagavim, a number of weeks prior. The Rosh Kollel said over the story that happened to R’ Chaim when he was learning that sugya. There was one man in the kollel with obnoxious attitude denied that such a story could happen with R’ Chaim. The man went home that day to find his apartment infested with chagavim! (Just like tzefardea, said the Rebitzen). The man called exterminators and for three days tried to get rid of them, but to no avail. He went to his Rosh Kollel and asked him what to do. He told him to ask mechila from R’ Chaim Shlita, so he went and R’ Chaim said “I dont know what you want from me, but machul lach machul lach machul lach”. Yup it was all gone!!!