A tall American ～　トールアメリカン

A Tall American

also a Tall American

(日本語がポストの下にあります）

I suppose you think this is a regular old cup of coffee, don’t you?  It’s actually a “tall Amer- ican.”  I was at my second favorite coffee shop the other day.  Guess what they call a regular cup of coffee, middle size?  Why, it’s an American, tall, of course.  You really have to be up on the lingo to order a cup o java these days.  After placing my  order (and having a little laugh at ordering “one tall American, please”, I jumped when the clerk called my order in a loud voice “WHO ORDERED A TALL AMERICAN?”  The tall American did, of course.

While I was in England I also ordered Americanos (they add the o at the end to make you think you’re drinking something really spiff).  If you don’t specifiy that you want it black, it comes with milk in some shops.  I always felt funny requesting “one black American please.”  Especially when the waiter/waitress was black.  Sometimes I tip-toed around it by asking for one regular coffee with no milk.   To which the waiter always replied, “oh, one black American, eh?”  You can’t win in the coffee world today.

Hijiriko Coffee Shop

Speaking of coffee, I dropped in to my favorite shop today for a cup.  I’ve written about it before – Hijiriko at Senkawa Station.   You really have to go there – today I asked for a cup of blend coffee (no Americans here!), and received not only coffee, but also a thick piece of buttered toast followed by half a baked potato.  And all for 350 yen (about $3.00).  Not only do you get all of this, you have a view from the second floor windows over all of “greater Senkawa”.  Such as it is.

左の写真は普通のコーヒーに見えるでしょう。実は、これがトール・アメリカンだ。先日僕の２番目に好きなコーヒーショップに行ってきた。レギュラーコーヒーで、中サイズが欲しかった。この頃コーヒーを注文する時、専門用語が必要だから、「普通のコーヒー、中サイズ」ではなく、ワントールアメリカン、と言う風に注文しないといけない。オーダーが出来上がった時店員さんが大声で「トールアメリカン！トールアメリカンを注文したお客様」と怒鳴った。なれているはずの僕がジャンプしてしまった。