Challange #5: Another Save By A Sr. Partner

Location:
Pasadena, California
Lake Avenue at Green Street.

Call this one a miss, a save, and an oops.

But first, through the miracle of modern technology, I am actually sitting in Starbucks, composing this challenge write up, and will post it from my seat, French-pressed Fair Trade in hand.

Snort!

I don’t know why it tickles me so to do this, and I am tempted to take the technology a step further and whip out the digital camera to take and upload pictures with the report, but I will restrain myself I think.

Meanwhile, Hannah and I dropped off the car for tires – had a slow flat yesterday, and dare not drive much more on it. We walked down the block and around the corner to wait for the tire.

We strode -- and strollered -- boldly into the empty store and I asked, ever-so casually, for “a venti Fair Trade drip, please.”

“We haven’t had the Fair Trade for months,” the boy on the register begins.

Sigh.

“Café Estima is Fair Trade,” I reply matter-of-factly. He looks confused and stunned.

Behind him, a tall female barista who knows me from a different store (but has never been around for a Challenge, that I know of) pipes up with “We can French press it for you!” and saves the day.

I ask her to press it a minute short, because I do not like it quite as dark as it usually comes out. She says OK; I find a table in a far corner of the empty store and make a phone call on the cell to make a debit card payment on a bill . (Technology!)

Now remember, I had asked for the coffee to be pressed, as per my usual, for only two or three minutes instead of the standard four, because pressed coffee comes out too strong for me otherwise. Ten minutes and two phone calls later no coffee yet, although it had been sitting in the press pretty much since I asked for it. I finish my second phone call, and look around – there is the unpoured coffee on the back counter. Still.

Uh oh.

An employee coming on shift asks the others what the press was for, and Tall-Girl scurries over, pushes the press plunger, and pours the coffee.

May I interject a silent ackthptblehsplorflept Arghhhhh?

I say, ever so sweetly, “You know that cup’s been in the press nearly 10 minutes, could I get you to press a new one?”

“Sure,” the Tall-Girl says, without a hint of annoyance. And she does, forthwith, although why that cup was brought to me after such a severe soaking, I have no idea.

In any case, she brings the new coffee over, and we chat a bit about Fair Trade.

“Hey, you know some of your partners are confused about the difference between your old Fair Trade blend and Fair Trade certified coffee,” I mention. I point out that it is only Fair Trade if it has the third party certificate, that “fairly traded” is similar, but not the same thing.

She smiles and lets me know that “all my partners know that.” Hmm. Debatable, given Register-Boy's initial response. He did remember after prompted, though, or pretended too. And I only had to provide one hint.

So, as I say, I score this a Miss, A Save, and a non-fair-trade Oops.

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Amused by the Starbucks Challenge? Me too. Now come see my real mission in the blogosphere: Easy Green and its companion journal, Observations, and such: Notes on the Kitchen Calendar