English Coffee
So I was out and about, a stylish man-about-town, and I popped in to Pret a Manger for a quick espresso. Actually, that’s a bit redundant, isn’t it? Surely all espressos are quick espressos. Hmm.
Anyway, as I was waiting, a young woman entered and asked for a cappuccino. Before the staff could prepare it, she started asking questions about how it was going to be made, and from what. She wanted to know what sort of milk they had; was it organic, was it skimmed, semi-skimmed or full-fat, was it West Country or Jersey milk, was it fresh. There were questions about the chocolate bits they put on top, questions about the sugar, and the staff were able to answer all of them. Towards the end, the man serving her started talking about the coffee, about how it was Fair Trade and so on, but the young woman cut him off. “Oh,” she said, dismissively, “I don’t care about the coffee”.
Oh, for the days when English coffee came in a tin labelled ‘Mellow Birds’. A sweeter, more innocent time, I think.
I prefer tea.
Milky tea or black tea?
Is there such a thing as “Fair Trade” tea, or is all tea inherently oppressive and exploitative?
Yes, tea is a MAN’S DRINK. Actually there’s Fair Trade everything – tea, coffee, chocolate, mangoes, footballs. Apparently Oxford is a Fair Trade city, which I assume means that all Oxford residents are paid a fair wage and none of us are being exploited, which I’m not entirely convinced by.
Mellow Birds? Nescafe? Gareth Hunt!
Pret a manager?
Yes, Pret a Manager; Ready to Manage – you get a free yellow tie with every coffee.