Cold Coffee

The other night, I was heading home from Jenika's, which requires two buses. Between the two, I decided to grab a cup of coffee at a bakery near the bus stand. It was a warm evening, so I asked for a cold coffee from the waiter. "Cold coffe," he repeated confidently, and off he went.

Within seconds, he returned and set the coffee in front of me with a smile. I picked up the glass to take my first sip and found that the coffee was hot. The waiter was still right there, so I looked up at him and said, "Cold coffee?"

He looked a bit puzzled at first, then touched the glass himself. "Cold coffee," he repeated with a little smile. "No, no, this coffee is hot," I said. "See?" He touched the glass again and had no choice but to agree. (Come on, I may be American, but I'm not one of the dumb ones!)

After a short time the waiter returned, bearing in hand the exact same cup of coffee he had just taken away. I was about to ask him if he thought I was an idiot, but he spoke first. "No cold coffee," he told me. "Want cold juice?" No, I didn't want cold juice, I wanted cold coffee. I shook my head, and he set the coffee on the table in front of me. I was disappointed, but I drank the coffee hot (although not as hot as the first time he brought it out), left my five rupees, and went to catch my bus home.