Ordering a cup of coffee has gotten way too complicated

By JACK HYDE
Special to The Sentinel

When I am in a coffee shop, I feel a little intimidated because I do not understand all the options that are there for me to consider and even if I did, I wouldn't know how to order it. I don't even LOOK like I belong there. I wear nothing that says "Abercrombie" and my copy of the Weekly World News is uncool to read in public.

I sense that many coffee shop owners are aware of people such as I but they are caught in a dilemma of their own making. They want to preserve the mystique and snob appeal of their offerings yet they would love to expand their market share, in other words, have more customers.

For this reason, the big coffee corporation from Seattle has published a 24-page, pocket-sized primer to assist ignoramuses such as I so we can increase our level of comfort in ordering a specialty beverage (at $4.95) in their shop instead of the usual house blend (at $1.25). The little book even has a tear-off wallet-sized card upon which I can write a personal script to read aloud when it is my turn to order. It is like a little translation book I might carry into a restaurant in Paris or even Biloxi.

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