However, it's not just my mum who recognises me. The neighbours from my apartment block recognise me (because we see each other in the hallway a lot), and I have a friend who lives across the street who recognises me too. But - even more thrillingly - there is a café along the main road, past which I walk every day to deposit my kids at the bus stop, and the guys who work there recognise me too.
I cannot tell you how exciting this is, to walk past a café and have the two (rather delightful looking, Italian) brothers who run the joint smile and nod. Now, it's not surprising that they recognise me, considering I stop in there most mornings for a coffee and to debrief about the events of the previous day.
 |
and what on earth is wrong with 'extra hot'??? |
"I have a deadline to meet and I have no ideas!" I'll complain, and Tommy looks empathic and pours my froth, or
"I went to a sex shop yesterday to research a story I'm writing," I'll comment, and the entire café falls silent and twenty pairs of eyes turn expectantly towards me.
That kind of thing.
And then there's the fact that I don't need to order my coffee. Because they know what I like.
"Extra hot skinny cappuccino?" Tommy will ask, almost totally disguising his eye roll of despair that I would choose to ruin such a beautiful beverage with unnecessary heat. And, as it's a bloody good coffee, I will forgive him the tiny eye roll that remains.
So thank you, beautiful men of Blip Café. Thank you for knowing my name, and for knowing my coffee. And for the little love hearts on my froth of a morning.
(And for those wondering, this is not a sponsored post, though I am quite hoping to get a free cappuccino or two out of it. Maybe even a slice of toast. You listening, Pino?)
Do you have a local where everybody knows your name???
Yep - my local Creperie... I live just down the road, so I quite often walk past the place, and they quite often say hi as I walk past... and sometimes I might actually stop and eat a gallette and drink a Nutella milkshake or two :)
ReplyDeleteMy partner R is WAY more locally famous than I am - people say hello to her all over the place... makes me wonder what she actually gets up to each day when I'm at work ;)
That used to be my local! Love and miss it
ReplyDeleteThere's a local cafe where the owner recognises The Little Mister, my mum, my grandparents and I. I don't think he knows our names, but he will let me know if the others have arrived yet when we're there to catch up and he always interacts with the Little Mister (with varied responses haha). It's lovely! :)
ReplyDeleteOh and also…embarrassingly, I went through a Hungry Jacks phase where the lady at the window of my local taking my orders predicted what I would order before I ordered it. I stopped going because it was a little embarrassing hahaha.
ReplyDeleteI live in a teeny tiny country town. Everyone knows my name, my daughters' names, my whole family history. I know all theirs.
ReplyDeleteHas its drawbacks, but they are far outweighed by the benefits. I know if I fell over and broke my leg, someone would pick up the kids and bring them home, someone would do my garden for me, someone would do the groceries.
It's small and sometimes confining and we do miss out on some of the city benefits, but I wouldn't swap it for quids.
Oh I love getting recognised in the street! We just moved to a small network of towns (Atherton Tablelands in Queensland) and my partner works away/I work from home and it's really hard going finding people to recognise me but I did get hellos on my last two trips to the supermarket!
ReplyDeleteI am recognised at my local shopping mall as I go there every week but nobody knows my name. I wouldn't like being constantly recognised. I prefer privacy. In fact I might even dart the other way if I spot somebody I know and am not in the mood for small talk. Nothing wrong with ordering extra hot coffee because sometimes it's barely tepid if you don't.
ReplyDeleteChelsea I moved to Yungaburra at the start of this year! Yes the Atherton Tablelands is a cluster of teeny little villages so although it's got that "country town" feel, you really don't know everybody, which is not all that bad, because we moved from a very small remote rural town where EVERYBODY knew EVERYTHING about you, and that was not a good thing.
ReplyDeleteI once loved anonymity. When I lived in developing countries and looked 'different' I yearned to pass my days while flying under the radar. However... years later I remember living in Brissy and being excited when I recognised someone from the gym at the supermarket. I'd been living in the city so long I'd forgotten what a sense of community is like. Since my seachange that's not so much the case. I love having casual acquaintances with whom I can regale stories of my life.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of which - re sex shopping. Girlfriends and I were once at one in Brissy and we saw an inflatable sheep (with orifice as expected) but there was also a blow-up foot! I can't now remember where the *ahem* hole was, but it was all very bizarre and (although in our late 30s) we giggled like 15yr olds! (The foot - in case you were wondering - was very big!)
Kerri, when you get to be my age, you'll find all the staff at the doctors and any pharmacy in the area, will know your name. I'm on first name terms with ALL of them....
ReplyDeleteOh poor baby. I mean oldie.... *coughs*
ReplyDeleteHang on, rewind back to the bit about, I went to a sex shop yesterday to research a story I'm writing!? ;)
ReplyDeleteA blow up FOOT? Okay. I certainly did not see a FOOT!!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah. That would be quite tough I imagine!
ReplyDeleteYES IT IS!
ReplyDeleteNice!
ReplyDeleteSounds really lovely. But I'm a city girl through and through!
ReplyDeleteHA!
ReplyDeleteYou should pop by some time!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure how I feel about 'nutella milkshake'....
ReplyDeleteLOL. You'll see it. x
ReplyDeleteThe are AWESOME... seriously! :)
ReplyDeleteVery cleverly written! You keep us hanging on right up until the end.
ReplyDeleteYou'd think that living in the middle of Paris, I'd have a large choice of cafés, wouldn't you? I don't have a café per se, but I do have a restaurant which is also a café where Louise, the owner, greets me with a kiss on both cheeks! Does that count?
We used to go to Yungaburra on holidays when I was a child and stay at the Yungaburra Hotel. Probably doesn't exist anymore. Maybe it's a café these days?
ReplyDeleteWe live in a small country town and just as important as the café owners knowing our coffee (which they all do) is the owner of the restaurant/bar greeting us with an open bottle of bubbly as we walk in the door after work on a Friday!
ReplyDeletethe guy who makes my coffee always calls out my order as I walk through the door. I'm amazed how he remembers as he only sees me once a week and he must have hundreds of other customers. Makes great coffee too!
ReplyDeleteYep! It's a bit like that here up on the hill where I roam. It's why I enjoy living in a "village" atmosphere. Just going to the local supermarket becomes a bit of a social event for me...and I enjoy that. :)
ReplyDeleteMy inlaws own a cafe - but always confuse the fact that I'm lactose intolerant with a presumption that I don't like coffee. I have a six month old, I need all the caffeine I can get!
ReplyDeleteWe live in a small town. Enough said.
ReplyDeleteYeah I do. BUt my brother is the manager there and we are twins so if he forgot my name I might have him hospitalised because there would be something wrong.
ReplyDeleteHa! Love it
ReplyDeletesoy latte?
ReplyDeleteYou know my order and we have never even met!
ReplyDelete