Scene:
Starbucks at Main & Terminal. There is a line of about 15 people in a tiny space. The poor girls behind the counter seem flustered and are stomping around. The general feeling is the line is one of boredom, exhaustion and give-me-my-coffee. I have my little thermos because, like any good light-green-environmentalist, I abhor paper cups these days.
Me: Good morning.
Starbucks Girl (SG): HeywhatcanIgetforyou?
Me: I’ll have a personal grande Earl Grey tea misto with vanilla. Oh, and a cinnamon bun.
SG (calling the order to the other girl): personalgrandeearlgreyteamistowithvanilla! (to me) Is that all?
Me: No. I’ll also have a cinnamon bun.
SG: A what?
Me (slowly so as not to confuse this further): A….cinna….mon….bun…
SG: Huh?
Me (wondering if I am speaking English): A cinnamon bun.
SG (clearly baffled and now frustrated): A WHAT?
Me (getting louder): A CINNAMON BUN.
SG: We don’t have those.
Me: Well, you should tell your display case. There’s one right here.
SG: (looks into the case, looks back at me, looks back at the case)
Me: On the left. …… No, your left.
SG: Oh. You mean a cinnamon ROLL. You should have said roll. We don’t have cinnamon buns. Just cinnamon rolls.
