A Tale of Two Mochas

sorry i've been away awhile. life has a funny way of well---getting in the way, you know???

first off- about the mochas where i work...they don't use syrup. we make a mixed, powered blend out of 3 dark chocolates and one milk chocolate and melt it into the milk. it's amazingly derlicious. that being said, here are two tales of mocha woes from yesterday.

tale #1: "please? can i have some more?"

a lady walks in and declares ours are the best, most fabulous mochas in the whole world and that one is not enough. i agree- not because i particularly like mochas, but because i'm nice like that. she asks if there is any way she can get more, because 12 oz. just isn't enough and she drinks it down in 30 seconds flat. i say, well, you can get two. she points to the 16 oz to-go cups and asks, can i just get it bigger? i sigh (inwardly) and reply- i'm sorry, but all our drinks are one size (believe me- it's a blessing! one size. no fuss.) and the mocha is formulated to be 12 oz. because the amount of chocolate we use is perfectly suited to the amount of milk and blahblahblah putting it in a 16 oz. cup would not be the same. she tries a different approach and asks well can i pay for two and you just put it in a lrger cup? i say, yes you could, but you'd be paying for an ADDITIONAL 12 oz. of mocha and only getting 4 oz. extra, i'd feel mighty bad about that. and by this point she's rather agitated but acquiesces and and says: fine, that's fine i just want more. so i begin making it and she stops as i'm about to put the second shot in the 16 oz. cup and *yells* i told you in 2 cups! :::sigh::: people.

tale #2: "less filling? tastes great!"

an adult mother/daughter combo walk in and are looking around- reading the menu, talking to each other in hushed tones when the daughter asks me do you have anything chocolate without sugar or using natural sugar alternatives like stevia? okay..... well- i reply--our mocha has no **added** sugar. (our hot cocoa does- and plenty of it) she looks at me quizzically. what do you mean by no added sugar? well, we make our own chocolate mix for our mochas- it has 3 dark chocolates ranging from like 65%-72% and one milk chocolate. the only sugars that are in it are the sugars that are already in the chocolate. everything else has additional sugar added if it has chocolate. the mom and daughter debate awhile about it and decide if they share it, it will be okay. so i make them a mocha and watch as they drink it, seeing how they react. so far so good. after finishing it, they both rave about how AMAZING it was. then the daughter (as they are walking out the door) turns back to me and asks do you know how many calories are in that drink we just had? ?!?!?! buh what? um.... i could figure it out if you wanted, it might take awhile. she gets a look of shock on her face you mean they don't teach you those things? i reply, dumbfounded that, no, they don't. and she walks out.

why would we want to figure out how many calories are in a mocha?! you get a mocha because you want to enjoy a mocha! not because you're counting calories!!!!

quandry/ conuundrum of same-aged "regulars"

there exists, a fine line, between being friendly with customers and being friends.  i often wonder when/if it's okay to become friends with customers of the same age. seeing as that work is all i do (not in school, haven't embraced any pastimes of social relevance) the most i interact with people in my age group is...well...at work. making their coffee, grabbing a pastry. maybe chatting up some new album or movie or asking about what they are working on. but can it ever be more than that? or is that awkward?

how does one go about befriending a "regular"? does it come off as stalker-esque? do they even WANT to be my friend? does it seem like i'm flirting? desperate? lame???

i think the worst aspect though, are the regulars still in school or working real jobs. then i just feel inadequate in comparison--"look at me! i work at a cafe for a living! wanna hang out?"

argh! is it simpler than that? or is it just a sad consequence of working a service job that friendships with customers are just plain out of the question???

shock and :::Gasp!::: outrage

sometimes, interactions with customers rub me the wrong way and leave me feeling morally dirty. i'm not talking black-and-white, cut-and-dry, right-and-wrong dirty, but the kind of dirty that comes from having to enforce stupid policies you don't personally believe in.

like, not even 10 minutes ago, a middle aged customer got really upset and in my face over the fact that we charge extra for Organic milk.

1. believe me lady, i'm upset too! i think it's ridiculous to make people pay extra for making a choice that is better for them, for farmers, for cows and for the environment.

2. NOT MY POLICY. it's not my fault- i didn't come up with the idea. but while we're at it, why aren't you upset that we also charge extra for soy milk??? i know i am.

3. it *does* cost us more. i don't have access right now to the invoices for our milk delivery, but i know it costs us more to buy Organic than conventional, and while i think it's incredibly stupid to charge extra for it---it makes sense from a consumerist/ capitalist viewpoint. seriously.

there are many places around here that have similar practices, and, while i hesitate to use that as an excuse, it's not as if this is a novel idea- charging extra for "premium" ingredients... when you go to the supermarket, it costs more for Organic than conventional, why shouldn't it at your local, friendly, neighborhood coffee shop??? (again, from the consumerist/capitalist viewpoint...not my personal one)

and while i feel your pain and even understand it. ma'am; it's truly unfair to take it out on someone who (believe me) has TRIED to get that changed but seriously doesn't have the power or the say to make it happen....

hand update!

it's doing much better. i iced the daylights out of it, smeared it in burn cream, wrapped it in gauze and downed about 4 asprin! and now, a day laterr, only 2 fingers are mildy pink! i'd say that's rather good. oh occupational hazards. they really are great, aren't they???

hand, meet hot water. hot water, meet hand.

YOWCH! so in my complete and utter stupidity (or lack of sleep and being awake fully before 10 am) i got distracted by a customer whilst brewing coffee. my head turned, and along with it- my hand moved directly under the fetco hot water dispenser--which comes out at BOILING temperature. it took me about 2 seconds to figure out why my hand was so hot.

i have since run it under cold water, sprayed the living hell out of it with solercaine, and now, have an ice pack wrapped around it but damn it hurts. and it's my dominant hand too.

what an idiot i am.

espresso: do's and don't-do's

do: use a naked filter if humanly possible---yum!

don't: serve a 15 second shot- ick.

do: get it "for here"- preheated porcelin cups are the *ONLY* way to truly appreciate a fine pour.

don't: order it "to go". if i had my way "to go" espresso wouldn't be allowed. it soaks into the paper/waxy cup and gets it all soggy and tastes gross.

don't EVER: ice an espresso. ruins it. period.

do: seek out and enjoy single-origin shots as much as possible. best i've had? NoVo coffee in Denver.

don't: french roast, italian roast or vienesse roast the espresso. burns the hell out of it. ick.

do: order it macchiato to take the 'edge' off a blended espresso or if you wanna shake things up.

don't: expect-then- to be getting a sugar-y, syrup filled, whip-cream-topped abomination like chainfucks serves. that is ***NOT*** a true macchiato.