There’s a couple baristas at a local café that I can’t really speak with because my Japanese level is「恥ずかしい」(embarrassing). Our near-daily method of communication is speaking in our own language while the other looks intently without understanding a thing. We’ll slip in some words we know in the others’ language, but we mostly never get there.
I’m a regular at this café, and one of the perks is that I get to keep my own cup at the café. I have this really nice Japanese ceramic cup that my friends Johannes and Mai gave me. It’s a bit taller and narrower than a cappuccino cup, but I like it too much not to use it here.
One of the staff is pretty good at latte art (she won the drunk latte art competition last month), but every time she pours one into my cup, she puts it in front of me and says “Small heart!” The cup shape makes it difficult to pour latte art into. But she boasted being able to make a swan, so I challenged her to try tomorrow (today). She promised to practice.
This morning when I came in, she poured my latte, looked up at me, and laughed. She wouldn’t even show it to me. Took a sip and tried again. After the second pour, similar result. She asked me if it was okay if she could make it in her own cup just to prove she could do it. I didn’t need convincing, but「どうぞ〜」
Perfect.