Saturday Cafe List

-walked in and found the counter devoid of my favorite buns, of all buns actually, I’m guessing because it was just announced that the bakery is up for a James Beard “outstanding bakery” award

-found a new salad on the lunch menu

-ordered an iced latte with oat milk to drink while I waited (it was winter-balmy out today with no chill in the cafe at all)

-found a table on the lower level by the windows that look out at the river flowing past

-heard a young college student attempting to speak French with a native speaker at the table beside me — discovered later that she was just learning

-gave her a piece of advice: to leave her mouth softly open between syllables so she doesn’t “speak” a space after each one. I demonstrated and she totally got it. I explained that when we’re trying to speak a new language and struggle to say things correctly, we naturally pause between syllables, and that leaving our mouth softly open helps us to “connect” them more naturally.

-the three of us then chatted about English as a second or third language, how some people think those who are just learning English aren’t that bright because they can’t speak super well but that they are actually smart enough to learn a second or a third language. We also touched on how some people who speak English in the US came from countries where they spoke a local or tribal language well, as well as the language of a conquering oppressor, and now also speak English, and how remarkable that is.

-I picked up where I had left off in the book I was reading, “How We Live Is How We Die” by Pema Chödrön and got fascinated and sidetracked by a quote she included about propensities, which made me think of Karens, so of course I started to write about it.

-as I was writing my salad came — kale Caesar with sweet potatoes, so yummy

-as I was eating I overheard one of the young women at the table on the other side of me say, “He’s like the least Miami person ever.” I laughed and then asked, “Did you just say that he’s like the least Miami person ever.”

-she said yes, and I said, “That is a fabulous sentence.” Then we talked a little about Miami and people getting on buses with a parrot on their shoulder.

-I continued to eat and watch the river, after writing down their wonderful sentence.

-I was lulled by the river and my left ear continued to pick up parts of their conversation, which was so smart, authentic, snarky, and kind that it gave me hope for the future.

-as I was leaving I noticed that the woman in the new couple sitting on my other side had also gotten the same salad as me. I mentioned how wonderful it was but that it would have been even better with pumpkin seeds. She laughed and showed me a pumpkin seed from her bowl. I had not noticed them in mine, but I guess I had picked up on their essence. We laughed a little more and I brought my dishes to the bussing station and walked out into a glorious winter day.

Cinse Bonino
2023