Coffee tales

I met a friend for lunch today. Having worked together for a while, we will often stop by a café on the way to a meeting and pick up some takeaway coffees. We know each others' regular orders, along with some others from our team, so it's a reasonably simple process. Reasonably simple. You see, she orders her coffee in a particular way, one I've never come across before.

Wherever we are, she will order a "large cappuccino with two sugars in a 'to go' cup but to have here". It's quite a mouthful, but I've memorised the speech word for word. It is always immediately followed by a confused look from the barista, then the same clarifying question: "oh, you want to take your coffee away. Shall I have it ready for you when you leave?" No, she wants to have it there and at the same time as the rest of our order.

However, when I order coffee, I want a real cup, not a cardboard or styrofoam one. And, yes, I also want to have it there. Except mine will be a trim cappuccino with one sugar (in the morning), or a long black with two sugars (in the afternoon), or a trim latte with one sugar (for the times in between). Between the two of us, we seem to have been served every possible combination of crockery, milk and sugar. Some places even get it right!

She is the total opposite to another friend of mine. If we pick up takeaway coffees somewhere, she will wait until she gets back to the office and then pour it into her coffee mug; apparently she can't stand hot drinks unless she is drinking them from porcelain, china, or, as a last resort, glass.

I've yet to take these two out for coffee together. I'm sure they would get on well, but I have no idea how our coffee orders would turn out. One day, I might be brave enough to try it, but in the meantime I think I'll just meet them separately. ;-)