Nice = Nice

Last summer I had the pleasure of attending the Dirt Pigs beer tent. (Yes, I AM a classy gal.) As happens to many a beer tent patron, the end of the evening was approaching and I had too many beer tokens left. What is a girl to do??

Give them away.

Dirt Pigs beer tent is in Walkerton. And how many people do I know who live in Walkerton? Not too many. My friends that I was with (aka, the few Walkerton-folk I know) had similar situations -- already had too many drinks, and too many tokens left. So it just did not make sense to pass my tokens to them.

I looked around, and my sights fell on the young man who either owns or manages the cafe in town, The White Rose. I'm not really sure just what his position is there, but I have two main thoughts about him: 1. He is always the person who serves me there, and 2. he makes the finest Americano I've ever had.

So it just made sense. I strolled over to him, and in both of our intoxicated states, I handed him a token, as a token of my appreciation. He was stunned for a moment and then gleefully accepted.

I am not lying here when I say they make the most amazing Americano I've ever had in my life. This beats the cafes in Australia (where I discovered the Americano), Starbucks (seriously, that place gets more hype than it's worth!), Second Cup, and dare I say it....Balzac's.

*Depending on my reader here, I just committed blasphemy, yikes!*

In any case, I take the opportunity whenever I am in Walkerton to go and have one of these delicious coffees. I'd say I go in there about once or twice a month. Not really too often.

Imagine my surprise when this past weekend, I drop into The White Rose for a cuppa joe, and the owner/manager/guy who takes too many shifts turns around to make my coffee, then turns back around and asks:

"Was that you who bought me a beer token at beer tent last summer?"

I was taken a little off guard, but I quickly, and happily, answered that yes, in fact that was me, because I think he makes the best coffee anywhere.

He smiled wide and said a gracious thank you. Then we spurred into a weird conversation about chemical additives to food and the wave of health conscious groups demanding healthy food.

I left the cafe feeling pretty calm and happy. It's nice to know that my silly little gesture stood out and was remembered almost a whole year later.