☕ The Hidden Charm of Coffee Shops
I’ve always loved the “behind-the-scenes” side of coffee shops. Walking in with a cheerful “Good morning!”, being greeted by the aroma of freshly brewed coffee—it feels like the perfect form of relaxation.
Not exactly happiness, not merely comfort, but something quietly exciting.
🍨 The Allure of Making Parfaits
At the café where I once worked part-time, meals were prepared in the kitchen, but parfaits and drinks were made at the counter in front of customers.
Watching the staff skillfully layer coffee jelly, sponge cake, whipped cream, syrup, fresh fruit, chocolate, pudding, and delicate cookies was mesmerizing.
The finished parfaits were so beautiful that customers would exclaim, “Wow!” when they arrived at the table.
I longed to try making them myself.
But as a part-timer, I wasn’t allowed.
Only full-time staff handled that role.
Strangely, another part-timer on the late shift was given the chance—perhaps because the team was short-staffed.
I remember feeling envious, thinking, “I can cut fruit better than that!”
🍵 Serving Tea to VIP Guests
Later, when I worked at a hotel, I was assigned to serve tea to VIP guests—even as a newcomer. One day, I mistakenly ordered “tea” on the slip, and sencha arrived instead of gyokuro.
The senior staff reminded me: “It must be gyokuro.”
🍵 Serving Tea to VIP Guests
I followed the instructions carefully: pour hot water into the teapot, wait briefly, then serve with a polite gesture.
My hands trembled as I said, “Please enjoy.”
Yet no one complained, and the guests drank it as if everything was perfectly normal.
🎭 Roles Are Decided by Circumstance, Not Skill
It struck me that the tasks we’re given aren’t always based on ability.
Sometimes, what we want to do never comes our way, while things we feel unprepared for are suddenly entrusted to us.
Roles are often shaped by the needs of the moment, not by personal skill.
🍳 Watching My Sons Grow
Now, my sons—who never cook at home—tell me stories of preparing food at their part-time jobs.
As a parent, I feel grateful and a little proud.
Perhaps O-kun’s family once felt the same way when he was allowed to make parfaits.
🍃 Learning the “Right Way” Later in Life
Only as an adult did I learn that gyokuro should be brewed at 60°C for about two minutes.
Back then, we used 90°C water, which is better suited for sencha.
Today, I can brew gyokuro, black tea, or Chinese tea properly.
But that hotel role will never return to me.
🌱 Perhaps Roles Are Decided by Atmosphere
Gyokuro brewed at 90°C still tasted fine to everyone.
Spring chrysanthemum leaves are delicious even when boiled.
People grow precisely because they’re asked to do things they couldn’t before.
Maybe roles aren’t chosen by us at all—they’re decided by the atmosphere, by the invisible needs of the moment.
最近のコメント