Life as a Barista

I'm hoping to collect my funny anecdotes from Starbucks for a book one day. Let's start here...

Heard over the drive-thru headset:
Barista: "...What can I get for you today?"
Man's voice: (strong Southern accent) "Uh, I think I'll try the Caramel Manicotti..."

Last time I checked Starbucks didn't serve Italian food. Our customer was trying to order a Caramel Macchiato (pronounced mach-e-ah-toe). Macchiato means "marked with" in Italian. The drink is a latte made with vanilla syrup; the foam of the latte is "marked with" espresso and caramel syrup. Most everyone who orders that drink for the first time (or second or third time) mispronounces it. One of my other favorite mispronunciations was "Caramel Machete...." Oh, dear! That would be one violent drink.

p.s. I just heard another story about the word "machete." My dear friend Beth just told me a story from when she and Aaron were dating. He was trying to make a good impression with her mother while they and some friends went to a Barry Manilow concert at (then) Starwood Amphitheatre here in Nashville. After the show, as they were leaving the parking lot, they passed some large rocks used to keep cars out of the grass. Aaron, trying to impress, commented, "I wonder if those are real rocks or if they're paper machete." Good try, Aaron. Try Paper Mache.

Old Hickory Village Sighting

Saturday morning I saw an interesting sight on my way back into the Village. Out in the middle of a large, empty parking lot was a man stretched out on the blacktop working under his...moped.