Tales from the Soup

Working as a barista is hilarious. Chocolate Soup is the sort of cafe that is quirky looking enough to draw in tourists, locals, and your random psycho customer. It is located right in the middle of “The Royal Mile”, which is the most touristy street in the Old Town of Edinburgh. Edinburgh is split into the “Old Town” and “New Town”, but both sections are World Historic landmarks, so for an internationally underexposed California girl, I can’t tell the difference between Old Town and New Town buildings since they are are all towering, dramatic, and antique looking to me. Anyway, I am trying to make that point that the cafe is situated on the main drag, and that makes for very interesting acquaintances.

For example, the most famous customer we have is a Brazilian woman who holds the Guinness World Record for having the most permanent piercings on her body. Yup. She dresses in colorful clothes, has a crazy weave, and not only is she pierced to the max,but she also paints her face in greens, yellows, whites, and blues. I have never seen anything like it! She has a fortune telling set-up outside, and works the tourist crowd. Every evening she stores her tables in our cellar.

Sometimes, there’s a “slightly off” woman who comes in and tries to strike up conversations with the customers. She usually tells the same stories over and over, and when she finishes the punchline to her story, she usually remarks, “So what do ya’ think of that!!!” and then whirls around and sits down quietly to her cup of tea. It’s almost as if she was never talking to you the way she calmly sips her tea. Oh, that’s another thing, she doesn’t ever buy anything. She brings her own tea, mug, and asks us to fill it up with hot water for her. And then we obligingly wash it for her when she’s ready to leave.

Right next to Chocolate Soup is a square where all the local teenagers hang out. These are the sort that buy every single item they own from Hot Topic, and they have that sparkling new black look about them. Do you know what I mean? When I think of someone trying to pull off the rebel punk or goth look, I expect their clothes to be a bit shabby because that reflects their bad-assness. Well, not these kids. they are just caught up in the materialistic Avril Lavinge image. Anyway, like I said they are teens so they are forgiven. And as kids will be kids, they usually are running and screaming and flirting and generally making a youthful ruckus on Friday and Saturday nights. Once a tourist came in, and she asked “Is there a goth convention going on?” Oh, silly tourists.

Yes, the tourists make for lots of laughs. There are either the snobby tourists, happy-go-lucky tourists, or tired tourists. Those titles are pretty self explanatory, but my favorite ones are the ones that leave drawings or notes on the napkins. I’ve been saving all the bizarre things I find when I clean up.

Chocolate Soup has that “White Gap” look about it, in that the atmosphere is light, airy, and almost clean looking. There are two huge bay windows at the front of the cafe, where there are tables and square stools for people to sit on. The hot chocolates are served in huge bowls, and many are topped with mounds and mounds of whipped cream that usually make your eyes widen and your heart stop beating because you are either in love or repulsed with disgust. I’ll try to nab some photos of the creations sometime. Oh, that’s another reason I like working there, there are so many bizarre kinds of “creations” that it’s stimulating enough to work there making drinks. We have 15 different flavored syrups….that is reason enough for me to work anywhere!