HalfCaf

In the office we have a Starbucks and some 3,000 or so people working in the building. The Starbucks is a one Man show called Ray. I go there most mornings for my Grande Americano. Ray is halfway through prepping one usually before I make it to the counter (my style with an extra shot). You could say what is so hard to remember about that,....well he also remembers all the 'Vanilla Hazelnut Semi Skim milk, no cacao, double shot Frappucino' from everyone else. Quite impressive.

Lately I have needed to look after myself a bit better so I decided to back down from 14 Cups of coffee a day (or maybe 8, but too many anyway). I thought I would need to miss Ray for a while. So after not showing for a couple of days I really needed something good to get the day started so went for my usual. Ray was upset - wondering where I had been. So I told him - nothing personal - its the caffeine! No probs he said - I'll get you a 'halfcaf' tomorrow! Halfcaf? What on earth is that? Well exactly what it sounds like Half decaf coffee and half normal - and yes when I came back after the weekend (4 days after he promised) he was halfway through making my 'halfcaf' before I made it to the counter. No need to remind him at all.

Ray can really make my day, just like one of the security agents at the gate in the morning. She gives me a big smile every day and mouthes to me through the closed car window 'How's the baby?' We never really had a conversation ever - just being nice!

Only in America is what I was thinking - love this part of the culture!

Mind you...now I think of it....'Jaws' the doorman in my office in the Sakh Centre in Yuzhno was also pretty cool! Smiling with all his shiny silverware whilst saying at the top of his lungs "Dobre Utra!"