Friday, May 9, 2008

Comfort in Every Cup

I rode up to Baguio with a heavy heart after a traumatic text exchange.  It weighed so heavily; I could not get over how cruel adults can be towards children. The road ahead seemed interminable, but my spirits slowly lifted as the air changed.  That first night, we were treated to several cups of traditional hot chocolate at Chocolate de Batirol--a lovely little place at Camp John Hay. We had different blends, even strawberry (yum!), thanks to the generosity and passion of the owner.  Indeed, there is nothing quite like chocolate made with love to calm and comfort the heart. Ang sarap!
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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I have a coffee story, which rather belongs to a consumer concern category.

Yesterday, I lined up for my usual Cinammon Dolce Latte at Starbucks. Until this flavor, I was not a loyalist. As come more often, I begin to appreciate this holistic customer experience proposition -the matte texture of their cup that I hold, the rounded edged spill proof lids which my "lips toucheth", and many other tender loving care to produce a cup of pleasantness.

Unfortunately, they made me a wrong concoction- a frapuccino! Needless to say, it disrupted my routine. The phantom soft rock music playing in my head screeched like a vinyl that skipped. The barista was just as ruffled from her routine too, she poured the replacement in a mug when I was expecting it to go.

Likewise, how short my fuse was, when I sipped my coffee, it was watered down and the cinnamon didn't waft in the air. I think it was because she decanted in another cup and spilled some of it, the barista might have thought that a squirt of milk here would do the trick.

I also noticed as soon as I held the cup that it was not the right temperature (which explained the cinnamon didn't evaporate).

At this point, the service was failing me and I wasn't going to let them get away with it. I fell back in line, and let the barista know of my disappointment, that I know my cinnamon dolce latte, but what I got was all latte. I had to let them know of my displeasure. I asked that I'd be willing to settle for settle for a shot of what ever caffeine they could put in it to make it stronger.

It's not attitude. It's not being a bitch. I paid for a pleasant experience and I should get no less. In fact, it felt good that I pulled myself together and negotiated for a solution. It was convenient to go off full steam, when the Starbucks sign urges with an empowering claim "if you don't like your cup off coffee, we will make it perfect for you."

She made me a brand new cup, and the equilibrium was restored.

It's not my intention to preach about consumer power or plug Starbucks.

I am posting this because I was more than pleased for myself. I liked the exercise of and pointing out what was wrong and negotiate a resolution as diplomatically as I could. It was a little exercise of assertion.
Baby steps, rather than being passive and dismiss that it was just for a cup of coffee. There should be comfort in every cup : )

May 9, 2008 at 10:55 PM
Panjee said...

Hi Carla,

"It's not attitude. It's not being a bitch. I paid for a pleasant experience and I should get no less."

I totally agree and I am glad you asserted yourself. Dapat lang. I'm happy, too, that you were able to do it with diplomacy, which I'm sure was helped by the willingness of the Starbucks barista to give you what you needed. This means they take their claim to heart.

As a culture, we are more likely to dismiss such things and suffer for it, when we have every right to assert ourselves. She gave you the wrong thing. It was only right that you got what you ordered and paid for, done perfectly.

Thanks for taking the time to write and for bringing the Cinammon Dolce Latte into my consciousness. That sounds really good. Just the thing to have when one needs to be restored.

Salamat.

Panjee

May 10, 2008 at 7:35 AM

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