Thursday 5 July 2007

30 Cents

At work there are two quick ways for me to get a cup of coffee.

About five meters from my office door there is a coffee vending machine. You put 30 cents into the coin slot and about 15 seconds later it presents you with a cup of the most vile "coffee" I have ever tasted. The term "muddy water" comes to mind.

I can also run up two flights of stairs to the canteen on floor eight. There you take a paper cup, put it under a spout and press the button labelled "Koffie". About 10 seconds later you can take your cup and proceed to the cash register. Once you're there - provided you have correct change - you just plonk your 30 cents on the counter and yell "Doei!" Usually, you're answered with another "DOEI!" from somewhere in the back.

When I opt for the first, I usually regret it. When I opt for the second, I leave sipping my beverage feeling very satisfied. Perhaps because I grew up in a large city where no one ever trusted me to "just leave the money on the counter". (The coffee is not bad either.)

3 comments:

Koray Duhbaci said...

What happened to our espresso machine?

Hannes Pretorius said...

It is dying a lonely death on floor 5.

Dennie said...

But... this is also a large city. Maybe it's because the canteen is in the mathematics department.

Hey Koray, how are you? I recently dusted off the old coffee machine. I feel not worthy operating the espresso machine.