Becoming a Barista.

Espressos are found almost at every nook and corner. Star bucks made its entrance to China. In New Zealand, Richard Harris has been around for a long time and some Kiwis vow that it is better than Star Bucks anytime.
A friend who was training to be a barista was training me to appreciate coffee. She said," You can have caffe latte, white, flat, cappuccino......" I don't normally have a cup of coffee except when I am with friends. I just had a cappuccino, and I like it in a china cup.
But many people like coffee on the go, and they come in these paper cups with a plastic lid.
In the old days in Sibu, coffee shop owners roasted their coffee beans in a self made roaster fashioned from a oil drum. They put real butter with the beans and turned the drum round and round. You may buy these roasted beans from him, according to a friend whose Dad owned a coffee shop, they don't sell you the real McCoy. They keep the real stuff for themselves, and sell you a mixture of corn and inferior beans. Mum's sister owned a coffee shop, but she didn't own a roaster.
My friends lament the loss of these dark rich freshly grounded coffee. I, however, prefer my cup of coffee made from a good instant coffee powder and coffee mate.
By the way, the coffee berries can be eaten. The water engineer's relatives in Malaysia grow them. Actually if you know how coffee is processed, you may not want to drink them. They have to ferment the coffee to get rid of the skin, and the smell is so obnoxious.
Mum was always helping people. I inherited her genes.
Today, I suggested to my ESOL student from Nepal. She had done her training as a Barista but she had no practical experience. I told her she could come and practice in my church during our coffee time.
She went through quite a stressful time because she had not interacted with New Zealanders on a social level. Paki Paki and good job to her and all those who showed her the ropes.