Saturday 27 June 2009

The Coffee House

This resort we're at in Cancun is awesome.... It even has a coffee house!
And though really you may not be tempted by a hot coffee when it's 32 degree C outside, the decor must be seen.

For those in the UK it resembles a lot to what you would find walking into a Costa Coffee, for those around the world imagine a Starbucks but with better coffee and dark red, warm tones and very comfortable large sofas.

The walls are tinted maroon and different size framed pictures of coffe mugs, coffee ads and coffee beans hang around.
There is a marble counter sitting on dark wood cabinets and a display of pastries and sandwiches that makes your mouth water just by thinking about it.

Walking past and looking in you feel a warm fuzz feeling growing inside.
This coffee house should be in a montain chalet somewhere in a ski resort, certainly not in Mexico!

This morning In went in... finally!

The sky outside dark with threatening clouds, the sea breeze feeling more like the one preceding a thunderstorm than the gentle refreshing breeze I'm used to find here, so I give into temptation and walk in looking for a nice latte and maybe some cream on top, just as an extra treat.

I look at the display, choose a fruit tart (amazing, by the way!) order my latte and sit down to wait. If the coffee is to compare with the tart it must be to die for.
I sit patiently, smile on my face thinking that a cool morning in Mexico actually has some positive sides and wondering if a latte in Cancun is the same as a latte in Edinburgh

5 minutes pass and still nothing...

Since I am the only guest in there I start wondering what can take someone so long to make a simple skinny latte and spray some whipped cream on... anyway, I wait.
After 5 more minutes the guy working behind the corner comes over and asks me to repeat the order again, I do... he looks a bit puzzled...

Ok I think, maybe latte means just milk like in Italy so I repeat again what I want, but this time I do it in Spanish and explain that I do want milk and coffee together. I even go to the extent of explaining that he can put the hot milk in before the coffee, and then add the foam at the end.

Suddenly his eyes light up, he has a eureka moment, takes my hand and asks me to follow him behind the counter just around the corner where I am presented with something that if I hadn't been gifted with the self control I possess this would have sent me down on the floor laughing like a maniac!

In front of me stands a coffee machine! But not a Costa/Starbucks-super-spaceship-mega-coffee-machine, it's more like a vending machine type of coffee machine, with small buttons telling me what will come up in my plastic cup and how much sugar will be added.
I smile, trying not to look suspicious, and point at the "cafe con leche" button.

I decide to pass on the whipped cream just in case the poor guy feels obliged to take me around the other corner and possibly introduce me to a cow needing to be milked or something...

Now I understand why this coffee house is in Mexico and not in the Colorado mountains...
Nonetheless, I am grateful for a warming cup since I'm cold and actually, the vending machine coffee ended up being quite good
:-)

1 comment:

Dona said...

Dear Dona,
the way you tell your tales is very attractive.
Why you do not save all them and try tu publish?
You might become a very appreciated columnist for a newspaper or magazine.
Daddy