accidental feminist

you catch more flies with foam September 18, 2008

I had a revelation today, at the Starbucks in Coolidge Corner. The barista made a particularly well-crafted latte. Clearly not from some pre-heated, half-hour old milk in a pitcher. This stuff was freshly foamed. It was creamy; it had heft; you could draw a maple leaf or a heart or something in it. Now, this is what I expect from a latte, and I don’t think you should be rewarded for making it correctly. But, you know what, sometime, just sometimes, I take off my misanthropic little beanie of judgment and don the feathered fedora of goodwill. So I stopped and turned back to the barista: “Did you make this?” “Yes,” she replied nervously. “Because this is a great latte. The foam is excellent. I know it doesn’t seem like a big deal, but it is, and I just wanted you to know that you did a great job”. And who doesn’t like to be told they do their job well? And who wouldn’t want to continue to perform well after a compliment like that? (No, seriously, yosefblog, what’s the research on that?) So all y’all who get a good latte at the Coolidge Corner Starbucks from now on, you just might have me to thank.