Owl Senior Member Joined: 30 May 2011 Posts: 37 Location: US
Posted Fri Feb 22, 2013, 8:38am Subject: Re: The Bitter Barista - great humor from an ex-barista
Until I read the stuff at Bitter Barista and Angry Baristas I thought orders with low-fat, 1%, 2%, soy, rice, counting ice cubes, etc. were literal jokes.
I can't believe people actually expect customized "coffee" at that level. I think it's unreasonable. Absurd actually. I think the barista should make the espresso/coffee, do their thing with one kind of milk and after that the customer can adulterate it in whatever way they want.
No one should have to do that kind of dance. I guess there's a reason I always refused to work in the service industry and that's because people ask too much.
I'm too old. In my day all you got was the coffee/espresso. What you did with it after it was handed to you was entirely up to you. There was no expectation that the provider do a myriad of things to it just to satisfy the foolishness of a "customer".
If you want to be that picky about your coffee (how many ice cubes are in it?!) make it in your own damn kitchen because that isn't coffee.
TonyVan Senior Member Joined: 24 May 2010 Posts: 269 Location: Pacific Northwest Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: GS/3, La Pavoni Grinder: Macap M7K, Rocky Drip: Kone
Posted Sat Feb 23, 2013, 2:31pm Subject: Re: The Bitter Barista - great humor from an ex-barista
Owl Said:
I can't believe people actually expect customized "coffee" at that level. I think it's unreasonable. Absurd actually. I think the barista should make the espresso/coffee, do their thing with one kind of milk and after that the customer can adulterate it in whatever way they want.
If we were talking about an old fashioned 25-cent cuppa joe, I'd agree with you. Waitress splashes the coffee into the big tan mug, the rest is up to you. Just fine with me too. Reality meets reasonable expectations.
But this is about customers paying five bucks - or more - for specialty lattes etc. made to order that the customer can't modify except maybe adding sugar. So the poor barista has to take out the 1% milk jug instead of the 4% milk jug - or run the decaf grinder instead of running the other grinder: big deal.
If the cafe won't provide service, the customers will find a new shop: reality fails reasonable expectations. Baristas who can't stand it need to find a new job.
Owl Senior Member Joined: 30 May 2011 Posts: 37 Location: US
Posted Sat Feb 23, 2013, 3:21pm Subject: Re: The Bitter Barista - great humor from an ex-barista
TonyVan Said:
If we were talking about an old fashioned 25-cent cuppa joe, I'd agree with you. Waitress splashes the coffee into the big tan mug, the rest is up to you. Just fine with me too. Reality meets reasonable expectations.
But this is about customers paying five bucks - or more - for specialty lattes etc. made to order that the customer can't modify except maybe adding sugar. So the poor barista has to take out the 1% milk jug instead of the 4% milk jug - or run the decaf grinder instead of running the other grinder: big deal.
If the cafe won't provide service, the customers will find a new shop: reality fails reasonable expectations. Baristas who can't stand it need to find a new job.
My chief irritation is snivelling customers with unreasonable expectations. No, I'm not a barista. I'm a reasonable older individual with a low tolerance for entitlement attitudes.
You don't see Italians playing stupid games with their espresso.
Baristas in Italy generally add sugar to espresso without asking. So customers don't have to ask for sugar. Or risk being made to feel inferior for asking. Perhaps they're made to feel inferior if they ask to leave the sugar out.
It seems that adding condiments at coffee establishments in the U.S. gets into too many people's hot button programming. Seems this topic is always coming up for opposite reasons. Either you're not entitled to specify what condiments are used, or you're not entitled to use condiments, or you can use condiments but you're made to feel inferior. Myself, I agree that specifying the ice cube count is ridiculous, but then I'm not taking the Bitter Barista too literally for common sense. The poor sap did state he was taking artistic license.
Oh, and there is a big difference between 1% and 2% milk. If I am given the wrong milk at Panera's I complain. If a coffee shop allows me to specify the milk, they can just take my order without complaining. If they don't allow me to specify what type of milk, I shouldn't complain.
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