I am back in Utrecht after spending a couple days in Amsterdam-- as always, I had a wonderful time. I am particularly fond of Jordaan, an area that is much quieter but still full of great shopping (The "Nines" ring a bell?), great food, and of course, great coffee shops (yes, mom and dad, the real kind!). One of my favorite coffee shops in Amsterdam is a place called "Screaming Beans" where the drip coffee is fab, and the espressos are even better. Beware: if you want your coffee decaf, you better expect to receive a smirk from the barista who will inform you that you are at the "wrong place for decaf coffee", or something equally embarrassing. Luckily, I don't do Decaf. I actually had coffee at Screaming Beans a few weeks back, during which I ordered a black coffee and somehow ended up with a latte. I nicely told the barista who took my order that I thought there was some confusion and that unfortunately I couldn't drink the latte since I am lactose intolerant (and because I hate them but I figured he would get the point without expressing my distaste for frothy, milky, drinks). Well, you would have thought I said that I am deathly allergic to milk because before I could even finish my saga he had removed the latte and begun to brew my black coffee. A few unnecessary apologies later, and an additional "Are you sure you are going to be OK?", I walked out of there, feeling slightly bad I had caused him so much anxiety! Although, I figured he would get over it....
Apparently this whole incidence was more scarring than I remembered because when I went back two days ago to get an espresso, he looked me in the eye and said, "Hey, you are that girl who is lactose intolerant right? I was so worried!" 


Ladies: if you want a barista to remember you, pull the lactose intolerant card. Apparently it works.