The Life of a Barista 咖啡馆服务员的一天

2017-12-25ByJamisonWendlandt

新东方英语·中学版 2017年12期

By+Jamison+Wendlandt

在咖啡馆做服务员似乎是一份既轻松又浪漫的工作，在充满文艺气息的環境中工作，每天被咖啡的香气所包围，用双手为顾客制作一杯杯充满诚意的咖啡，想想都令人羡慕不已……那么，做咖啡馆服务员究竟是一种怎样的感觉？他们的每一天都是如何度过的呢？一位咖啡馆服务员在下文中现身说法，为你揭秘。

Many people think that being a Barista is an effortless job. These must be the people that don't see us pacing frantically2） to and from the drive-through3） window trying to get customers started with their day.

Those who work at a coffee shop typically start their day about an hour and a half to two hours before the typical 9～5 worker. Think about it， they have to have coffee brewed4） and bakery items frosted5） by the time everyone else is on their way to work. Customers can start rolling in6） around 6：30 or 7：00 in the morning and they expect their morning cup to be just the way they like it， fresh with a little bit of cream and sugar， or black—you get the point.

After arriving at the coffee shop， you unlock the door and turn on the lights. The first thing you do after putting your things down is grab7） the brew pot and beans which you measured out the night before. Oh， and start preheating the oven. The beans which were roasted just a few days ago （if you work at a coffee shop that serves good coffee） go into the grinder8） and then into the basket9）. It is essential to start your first pot right away because customers will be wanting their morning coffee before you know it. While that is brewing start your scones10） which have been frozen and sat out overnight to ensure easy baking.

Ok， you've got the essentials started， and now you can put money into the cash register11） and begin turning on the rest of the lights that you missed in your rush to start working. But hurry， your first pot is done and it's time to start the next one！ It is important to brew your coffee in the correct order. This varies based on customer favorites. While the second pot is brewing you might do some clean up that was missed from the night before. There is always some dusting and a window that needs to be cleaned. Ding！ The scones are done and it is time to frost them. Of course， wash your hands first. By the time you are done， your second pot will be finished. Stock the bakery case， and look out to see a customer waiting for you to open the gate. It is typical for customers to be out there at least 15 minutes before you open. Being a caring Barista， you open up early just for them. Now that the gate is open， you must finish brewing coffee and continue to wait on customers at the same time， which will be a continuous task until about 9：30 or 10：00 when they have arrived at work. In most cases you will be by yourself until about 8：00， so good luck with that！

After the morning rush， wash your dishes because you will need them again， and very soon！ It is now time to prep for lunch. More than likely you have already started the soup during the coffee rush because the local artists will be in promptly at 11：00 and they will expect their favorite soup. Cut your vegetables and make sure the meats are ready. Pull your bread out of the freezer. Once lunch starts， there is no turning back and no room for error. It can really put a twist12） in your day if you don't have enough chicken thawed13）， or greens cut for salads.

There is always at least one customer who asks for something that isn't really an option， but you do it anyway because you want them to come back and enjoy themselves. Many times you make old items that used to be on the menu because they are still a favorite for your "usuals".

After what seems like an infinite amount of lunches， it's time to clean again！ Things are a little slower because it will be the casual shopper or Wi-Fi customer drifting in and out. Also depending on where you work， you might be closing in a couple of hours because it will be 4：00 and people aren't in the mood for coffee anymore. Needless to say， after a full day of work， it's time for a break. Did I say break？ I meant， you feel like it is time for a break！ Now that you are cleaning up and getting ready to close， a steady rush of people will come in right about ... NOW！ It never fails， just when you think you can rest， you are right back up on your feet.

This may seem like a stressful job， because it can be， but here are some of the perks14）： Even while you are rushing to serve customers， you see your friends all day long. You've served your regulars15） from the time you opened to the time you closed. You know what they get16） before they ask for it. You know what time they come in and who they will be meeting. Sometimes you have their order ready before they get there. They have told you about their day and what new and exciting things are going on in their lives. These people who used to just be customers have become your friends. By now， it isn't just the coffee that puts a smile on their face， it is also seeing their favorite Barista！ That is probably one of the most rewarding things of the job. The fact that you can make someone's day better is worth it. The free coffee is worth it too！

Here is one disadvantage of being a Barista： You will forever be the biggest critic of any coffee or espresso17） drink you taste！ But most likely you won't drink many coffees from other coffee shops because you won't have time to！ This is the price the modern day Barista superhero has to pay ... but it is so worth it！

很多人都觉得做咖啡馆服务员是一份轻松的工作。这些人一定没有看到我们手忙脚乱地往返于“免下车订餐”服务窗口，努力帮顾客开启新一天的样子。

那些在咖啡馆工作的人通常要比朝九晚五的典型上班族早1.5～2个小时开始一天的工作。想想看，等到其他人踏上上班路时，他们就得把咖啡煮好并给烘烤食品撒上糖霜。顾客有时会在早上6：30或7：00左右就开始不断涌入，他们期待早上所喝的咖啡正是按自己想要的那种方式做的：现磨的并且加了一点点奶油和糖，抑或是什么都不加，你懂的。

到达咖啡馆以后，你首先要开门、开灯。放下东西后，要做的第一件事情就是赶紧拿出煮咖啡的壶以及头天晚上按量配好的咖啡豆。对了，还要开始预热烤箱。把几天前才烘焙好的咖啡豆（如果你工作的咖啡馆咖啡不错的话）放入研磨机研磨，然后再倒入滤网里。第一壶咖啡要赶快煮上，这一点极为重要，因为顾客很快就会想要喝他们的晨间咖啡了。煮第一壶咖啡时，你就要开始准备司康了，为了确保它们好烤，它们已冷藏、静置了一晚。

好了，基本工作你已啟动了，现在你可以把钱放入收银机，开始把一早匆忙开工还没来得及开的其他灯都打开。但动作要快，因为第一壶咖啡已经煮好，是时候开始煮下一壶了！用正确的顺序煮咖啡很重要，这随顾客的喜好而有所变化。煮第二壶咖啡时，你可能需要打扫一下头天晚上那些漏掉打扫的地方。总会有一些浮灰需要打扫，总会有一块窗户需要擦。叮！司康烤好了，该往上面撒糖霜了。当然了，要先洗手。等你撒完糖霜后，第二壶咖啡也快煮好了。把糕点柜摆满糕点，留意一下有没有顾客在等你开门。有顾客在还有起码15分钟才开门的时候就已等在店外是常有的事儿。作为一位体贴的咖啡馆服务员，你早点儿开门就是为了他们。既然已经开了门，你就必须把咖啡煮好，同时继续等候顾客，这个工作会一直持续到9：30或10：00左右，届时顾客已经到办公室了。在大多数情况下，你都将一个人撑到8：00左右，所以，祝你好运吧！

早高峰过去之后，就该洗餐具了，因为还要再用，而且很快就要再用！现在该准备午餐了。你很有可能在咖啡供应高峰时段就已经开始准备汤了，因为附近的艺术家11：00准时就会光临，他们会期待喝到自己最爱喝的汤。把蔬菜切好，并确保肉已备好，并从冰箱里取出面包。一旦午餐开始，就不能回头，绝对不能出差错。如果解冻的鸡肉或是为做沙拉所切的蔬菜不够，那么你这一天可真要出现波折了。

总会有至少一位顾客想要菜单上并没有的餐食，但无论如何你还是满足了他们的要求，因为你想让他们成为回头客，想让他们用餐愉快。你经常会做菜单上以前有过的一些老菜品，因为它们仍是你的一些“常客”的最爱。

在做了似乎无穷无尽份的午餐过后，又该打扫卫生了！这时工作节奏慢了一点，因为只有随便溜达进来的顾客或是来蹭Wi-Fi的顾客进进出出。另外，你所在的咖啡馆可能再过几个小时就要打烊了（打烊时间视你的工作地点而定），因为快到4：00了，人们就没有心情再喝咖啡了。不用说，工作了一整天，该休息了。我有说休息吗？我的意思是，你觉得该休息了！你都在打扫卫生准备打烊了，就在这时又有一波顾客持续涌进店来……都什么时候了！正当你觉得可以休息时，你又站起身来，这种情况总会发生。

做咖啡馆服务员可能看似是一份压力很大的工作，因为有时压力会很大，不过也有福利，以下便是其中的一些。即便当你匆忙地在为顾客服务时，你这一天下来也见到了你的朋友们。你从开始营业到打烊一直都在为常客们服务。他们还没开口你就知道他们要点什么。你知道他们什么时候来，将要见什么人。有时，他们还没到，你就已经准备好了他们的订单。他们向你讲述自己的一天，讲述自己生活中发生了什么新鲜事和激动人心的事情。这些曾经只是顾客的人已经成了你的朋友。现在，让他们脸上露出微笑的不仅仅是咖啡，还有见到他们最喜欢的服务员！这大概是这份工作最有意义的方面之一。你能让某个人的一天变得更加美好，这一点很值。你还能喝到免费的咖啡，这也很值！

做咖啡馆服务员一个不好的地方是，对于你品尝的任何一种咖啡或意式浓缩咖啡，你永远都会对其最吹毛求疵！不过，你很可能喝不了多少其他咖啡馆做的咖啡，因为你不会有时间去喝！这就是咖啡馆当代服务员“超级英雄”不得不付出的代价……不过这真的很值！

1. barista [b??ri?st?] n. 咖啡馆服务员；咖啡师

2. frantically [?fr?nt?kli] adv. 紧张忙乱地；手忙脚乱地

3. drive-through [?dra?v θru?] n. 不必下车即可得到服务的餐馆（或银行等）

4. brew [bru?] vt. 煮咖啡

5. frost [fr?st] vt. 在（糕饼上）撒糖霜

6. roll in：大量涌来；纷至沓来

7. grab [ɡrab] vt. （尤指匆忙地）取，拿

8. grinder [?ɡra?nd?（r）] n. （咖啡研磨机等）研磨器械

9. basket：这里指filter basket，即滤网。

10. scone [sk?n] n. （圆形）烤饼，司康（用大麦或燕麦面粉加苏打、糖、盐等烤制而成的西式茶点，源自英国）

11. cash register：现金出纳机，收银机