Smokey and I visited Elder Son in Sioux Falls this weekend. Did I tell you that is where he is doing his residency? He is two weeks into it and seems to be happy (yay!)
No photos to share (boo!) because I suffered from camnesia all weekend. Let me tell you about a couple unillustrated coffee experiences, though.
After we went out for lunch on Sunday, I forced the driver at gunpoint requested that we stop at a coffee shop so I could get my daily dose of caffeine. I had noticed a small remodeled house with a large sign, Ethiopian Coffee House and Restaurant, on the way to lunch.
As I walked into the front room -- the former living room, now with a bar in one corner housing the liquor and the expresso machine -- I realized to my horror that the room was filled with men. Standing room only and not a female in sight. The men were all watching the World Cup final on the HD TV on the wall and cheering for Argentina. (Apparently the German team is not popular with the Ethiopian male contingent.) Mr. Messi! they kept shouting. In my ignorance I thought Mr. Messi was the proprietor, and they were shouting for service. Actually, Leo Messi is a star on the Argentine team.
Anyway, I felt rather out of place as I ordered my four-shot latte, which was served with four shots of espresso and zero latte. After dosing it with milk back at ES's house, I found it to be quilte palatable. And a good story.
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We left around noon on Monday. Once again, after eating lunch I forced asked Smokey to stop so I could get coffee, this time at a kiosk in the lot where we had parked. The sign said Open but there was no one visible inside.
...until the window flew open and a 30-ish man exploded into the opening.
Hello! he shouted. How are you today? What can I get you?
We decided he had been injesting his wares since 6am. The day before. I really don't know how one person can contain that much energy inside a 6'x6' space. He must be absolutely cray-cray by the end of his shift.
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And that was my weekend.
