Warning: Every now and then I get customers I DESPISE. They are few and far between but they arrive at my counter all the same. Here's a story from today. I'm warning you, I am merely venting this entire post. I am hopeful this woman was actually a wonderful mother and if not, that her poor son will turn out normal once he finally leaves her. With that, I give you my tale of woe.
I have been picking up a few shifts here at the local coffee shop, not only to give me some extra funds, but to see how working at another store is before moving up to good ole' Chicago. (I am currently in Nashville for one more week before Mom and I head north on the 19th with Henry packed to the roof.) So I am happily making drinks today... In a line of drinks, I am happily steaming milk and talking to customers. The third sticker I come to is in a short cup and the modifier is "1 pump sugar-free vanilla." Okay, I think. A kids hot chocolate with one pump of mocha and one pump of sugar free vanilla. A little odd, but I'm gonna go with it. I make it. I present it.
I am quickly corrected. "Um, we ordered a milk with sugar free vanilla." And she points it out on the label. Oops, my bad. I generally assume those drinks in short cups are all kids hot chocolates. I explain this to her and quite happily apologize and begin to remake the drink. I figure she wanted to get the boxed vanilla milk that we keep but wanted to do it cheaper and make it sugar free. I start to reach for a cold cup figuring it was supposed to be a cold version. But oh no, it is STEAMED milk with sugar free vanilla. Okay.... very odd but I'm gonna go with it.
I begin pick up the 2% milk container to begin steaming my milk again. But as I'm getting milk out, I figure I will give this mom a chance to redeem herself and offer her WHOLE milk in addition to 2% and Nonfat. I am really hoping for her sake that she chooses whole milk or at the very least 2%. It would be ever more fabulous if she said it didn't matter.
Yeah, you guessed it. She says that nonfat milk "would be great." So as I'm beginning to steam this nonfat milk to a kids temp, she reminds me, "Oh, that's supposed to be kids temperature." I think, "Yeah lady, I'm making your poor kid this excuse for a treat. I got it covered." But, I already screwed up the drink once, so I'll give her that one. I finish it. One pathetic pump of sugar free vanilla. Some warm nonfat milk. And only 8oz of it. I present it again with a smile.
She picks it up. THEN SHE TRIES IT HERSELF. Then nods and hands it to, get his, her SEVEN OR EIGHT year old son....
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Several things are wrong with this. To begin with, that's the first time I've ever had anything that pretentious for a CHILD before. I understand only getting one pump of mocha or getting no whip cream. Alas, this is no lightly modified hot chocolate delight. THIS drink is a poor man's vanilla creme. TIP: Don't order a milk and ask me to steam it and add some syrup. Order a sugar free vanilla creme sans the whip. Secondly, he's 8. Let him order his own freakin' drink and then don't go and taste it. HE IS SEVEN OR EIGHT YEARS OLD. And finally, and most important of all, you are DESTROYING your child.
I know this appears harsh. I assure you - I mean it to be. I am passionate about kids and about them eating right. I've seen scores of parents try all different things. Most of the time, I completely understand. Heck, I spent a great deal of time with a little boy that drank soy milk only and ate mostly organic foods. (Note: I drink soy now mostly due to them - - and the Skinny Bitch book.) I spend time thinking about my future children and what concerns me the most about them and how I plan to raise them. Besides the basics like knowing they are loved and making sure they are happy... I have a few things on my mind. First and foremost, I want them to have an indestructible self confidence. Secondly, I want them to be healthy. Play a little sports. Drink a little soy. Have a few cookies. Love asparagus. (I don't ask much, do I?) Other things are on this list, but it is the second item that we now turn to.
I despise sugar free things in general. They are cancer causing poor excuses for the stuff you really want. Or if you don't want the "healthy" raw sugar, use honey or some other sweetener. (I admit, when I do drink soda, I try to drink Diet. But, I avoid sugar substitutes at all other times - be it yogurt, breads, dressings, etc.). Anyway, I hate that this mother ordered a sugar free syrup for her kid. Maybe he's got some kind of specific allergy. MAYBE. I doubt it, though. She looked more like the over controlling paranoid kind of mother than she did the loving, caring, health conscious mom. I could be wrong.
The nonfat put me over the edge. CHILDREN NEED FAT. *Sigh* I am trying to calm myself down now. But seriously - CHILDREN NEED FAT. They are not mini versions of adults who should diet and try keep the belly at bay. Do you know how active kids are? How much they run and play and talk a mile a minute. On top of this, their little bodies are trying to GROW. You can't grow without fat. I'm not saying you should come into the the coffee shop and order extra mocha extra vanilla breve hot chocolates for your kids, but COME ON. I can't stand to see stick skinny children. Also, getting an iced tall nonfat caramel latte for yourself and getting your kid a SHORT WARM NONFAT 1 PUMP SUGAR FREE VANILLA MILK is ridiculous. When I took H with me to the coffee shop, she got her chocolate milk or her apple juice and I got my vanilla chai. I feed my addiction, she feeds hers. I don't want parents to stuff their kids full of sugar and fat, but if you cut it out completely, there will be HUGE problems for the kid later on.
I am just so incredibly upset at this woman that I can hardly give you a good argument why. I just think it is inhumane to come into a coffee shop and get, as a TREAT for your son, a milk with one measly half oz pump of sugar free vanilla. I think it is sad. If this was the TREAT out, I shudder to think of what she actually gives him for snacks or meals. Tofu? Uncooked organically grown cauliflower? Whole wheat pasta with all natural, sugar free, extra veggie, no-meat, tomato paste sauce? Yum....
I must quit. If I don't make any sense, try to find it in your heart to forgive me. If you see where I am so in-eloquently going here, say a prayer for that kid. Say a really long prayer for the mother should I ever cross her path again. I pray that she doesn't show up next Sunday. I'd hate to give her a piece of my my mind.
p.s. Some of friends when I was younger had really over controlling parents. Now their facebook photos and profiles show them drunk often, overcome by eating disorders, and obsessed with the opposite sex... I don't want to make assumptions about over controlling parents and problems... but I feel I already made it to that conclusion before I posted this post. *Sigh*
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