Today’s weird thought came to me in the toilet at Costa Coffee in Melrose Brace (yes, there really is a wikipedia entry for Melrose Brace) in Shrewsbury. The thought derives from an experience I had when I was in the queue to buy a coffee.
While I was waiting behind the people ordering complicated coffees, taking their time, I started to think that a cakery treat would be nice.
My favourite tipple
It was only 9.30am and the display of cakes and croissants was more-or-less complete and looking very fresh. In fact everything looked delicious. I don’t normally eat cakes. I don’t have a very sweet tooth (offer me cheese and I find it hard to say no but offer me cake and chances are I’ll decline). But having to wait in the queue in front of the cake display and seeing this lovely spread in front of me, I decided that yes, today I’d have a treat. I’d been having a really few days with too much to do with work and organising an exhibition at Powis Castle so I was feeling very stressed and felt I deserved a treat.
This is Becky heaven
Immediately, my attention went to the chocolate orange fancies in the middle of the display. I love chocolate orange. We are never without a chocolate orange in the fridge at home. I always get given chocolate oranges for Christmas. I love chocolate, I love orange, I love them together.
This winked at me today
It was my turn and I was about to say ‘a medium Americano and, erm, one of those please’ when my eye spied a sign next to the chocolate orange fancies. I peered closer to the glass front of the cake display. The sign provided useful information about the chocolate orange fancy, including calorie content. My eyes widened in horror: 400-odd calories!! No thanks!
Costa obviously don’t want me to eat their cakes. What planet are Costa Coffee on? Why do they want to provide the calorie content information next to all their cakes? Are they trying to put customers off? If so, it worked on me. I don’t want to know how many calories I’m eating. I just want to enjoy chocolate and orange with coffee. I’m not sure if other people are put off by these calories signs, but it had that effect on me.
So after I’d had my coffee sans cake, I went home and ate a piece of chocolate orange out of the fridge.
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