Prior to 2017, the year I set sail leaving Los Angeles, California, and everything familiar in the rear view mirror until Brexit and Covid came along and shattered my rear view mirror, I thought everywhere had 4,371 coffee's.
According to Central and South America, Europe, England, the Middle East and a handful of Asian nations we've had the opportunity to live, however, there's only two:
Regular / Decaf.
Creamer, pssh, no-brainer—French Vanilla all the way. Coffeemate, by Nestle, French Vanilla flavored is the only reason I drink coffee—scientifically concocted poisonous heaven sent syrup available only in the Land of The Free to graze:
I met Larry at those refrigerator doors.
Child inventor extraordinaire genius—Larry. Achievements like that are forever. I was unaware of all his accolades until after I helped him out and went home and researched his business card.
Right now he's blocking the French Vanilla.
He opened it, grabbed a bottle and let the door close itself while standing in front of the cooler. Held the creamer in his hand, turned it around and scanned the ingredients. Opened the same door, turned the creamer back around and returned it where he got it, closed the door and continued scanning.
I don't care.
I got all the time in the world.
He's got plenty of room, I distanced myself a good 20 feet off to the side, no rush. Take all the time you need, I thought, no pressure.
Waiting..
He opened the door again, grabbed a different one, turned it around and scanned the ingredients. Turned it back around and put it back, again, allowing the weight of the door to close itself. Again.
Scanning..
He did that another time before noticing me, I startled him—didn't mean to do that—didn't see me standing there. He hesitated, "I'm sorry." I acknowledged with friendly body language and a fake smile, assured him he's not holding me up.
Take all the time you need, I'm in no hurry.
I never had'ta shop fer'myself.
He mumbled timidly under his breath, but I heard him loud and clear. Well into his 80's, I'm guessing, and never shopped for his self.
Take your time, seriously, I'm in no hurry. French Vanilla's the best.
Which'uns that?
The light blue one.
Best'n??
Yes, sir. All the other ones are just a reminder why I like French Vanilla.
He thanked me and put a bottle in his shopping cart. I put one in mine, too.
My pleasure. I'm Arts. Need a hand with anything else while I'm here?
He extended his hand to me.
I'm Larry. My wife did all the shopping.
Don't ask / Don't tell.
Something changed. Life does that every day. Hopefully it's something other than the worst case scenario my imagination painted. I shook his hand.
Nice to meet you, Larry.
Would'ya mind showin me to the pork?
Hell no I wouldn't, let's go.
We went to the meat section. I showed him how they identify the different meats and poultry and stuff by color and where it's shelved, et cetera. He was super appreciative. American markets are ridiculous—massive intimidating things. Then he stuck his hand out to his side, parallel to the floor at knee level, indicating how small he used to be..
When isa real young boy, I'm prolly twice yer age now, my daddy's in a baaaadd accident in a real bad way and eez arms's froze up like dis'eer.
He made two fists and brought them up to his chin like a squirrel.
Eez in a coma so long, day-juss froze up like dat and'n he come home ain't none us think he'd ever move eez arms again so I went out and gathered some pedal bikes...
He told me about a machine he made. Said he was only 5 years old when he made it and didn't know what else to do but knew he couldn't just sit there and do nothing while his dad deteriorated in bed incapable of moving his arms.
He built a machine out of various bicycle parts: cranks, pedals, chains and whatever else to reach his dad's hands they'd strap to the pedals with shoelaces while he lay upright in bed. At the foot of the bed, he set up another bicycle and anchored the two together in the ceiling. He said he could sit on the bicycle at the foot of the bed and pedal, forcing the pedals strapped to his dad's hands to move, eventually retraining his brain how to move his arms.
The coolest part was when he described how big his dad's eyes got to me. "They were this BIG!" he told me with both hands doing the 'ok'. His dad's obviously astonished at the sight of this machine his young son built that's actually working and making a difference when no one else could.
His dad recovered and gained full mobility. Shortly thereafter, the two worked together perfecting and patenting Larry's machine—Quadriciser. Said he called it that because it exercises all four limbs; if someone's legs need retrained, move them with the hand pedals and vice versa. He's got thousands of them in multiple hospitals and universities all across the world now.
Crazy, right? Larry the child protege and I in the same market together for coffee creamer and he didn't know French Vanilla's the best. I told him about @splatts building something similar for his boy.
My buddy's son grew too fast or something like that. I'm gonna tell him about you. They travel between Washington State and California regularly for therapy to correct his spine, something - something, I forget exactly what but something like that.
He named all the treatments Splatts's boy is likely receiving, said his machines are all over California and gave me a business card.
Give'eem one-uh deez.
I told him I'd relay the message when I got to the car, asked if he needed help checking out or to his car or anything else. I'd finished grabbing everything I needed anyway.
I'll drive you all the way to your house if you want.
That got a laugh out of him. He nodded and smiled ear to ear in gratitude, shook my hand again, said he enjoyed meeting me. I returned the compliment. Told me he's got it from here, if he doesn't do it now, he said, he might not get to.
Better do it when'ya can cuz'ya never know when'ya can't.
We went separate ways. I purchased my things and left, never saw him again. Got to the car and called Splatts on my way home like I said I would. Told him the story I just told you.
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I love the random interactions that we get like this. It's a reminder that the world doesn't suck and that there are a lot of good people in it, despite how fucked the idiots on the tube say it is.
That's heart breaking to hear that his wife recently died, hopefully they had a nice long life together. My grandfathers were both survivors, and sadly my grandmothers were not. I hope to be gone around the same time as my wife, but a ripe old age of course.
Maybe we do something badass like learn to fly a plane together and if it crashes, it crashes but we don't have to do it without one another. My 77 year old neighbor does this with his wife, and one of these days I'm not sure if that will be what we hear happened, but if it does that's the best case scenario. Go down together, doing something you love. Feels like a rock song or some shit.
Safe to say they lived a real long time together considering his first shopping excursion was this week.
Whaddup man? When I draw long comments outta you, I musta did it right. = } Big middle finger to dying first, dude. Hell no. Pura's a runner, she better outlast me or I'll kill'er.
Love the plane idea. Pura won't get in a sesna, though, will only fly commerical with minimum two engines. Only Larry can afford one of those.
But what actually is creamer?
Don't ask / Don't tell!
I can’t even imagine how proud and happy his dad was after seeing what his son had built and how it contributed to his recovery. Now, I’m here wondering how you felt after going home and later finding out more about the Quadricer and who you met without knowing who he was.
My take home from this is how it actually pays to be kind and nice as a person. You never know where it might take you.
What she said!
Hello. I know we've crossed paths before, pleasure to do it again.
Only inspired me enough to tell the whole Hive about it.
= }
Nice
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L
O
L
Reblogging so I can comment later .. bedtime now but lived reading this.
See you then. <3
Might take a minute - weekend here. Getting out of bed.... Now!
That's funny. Hey don't let me slow you down, go get you some weekend.
Hillbilly hospitality and ingenuity, all in one interesting old man! Sounds like something I would have done as a kid.
I'm glad you were finally able to have an interaction in Tennessee that didn't involve sideways glances and racism.
Damn you, you know I can't leave that alone and why the hell you here in two costumes?!
I know you noticed I didn't curse or anything in this one. All happy-happy inspiring-inspiring and, you, you gotta throw a right-handed fist in it.
Only reason a 80 year old dude in The South feels comfortable talking to me is cuz my skin.
See you on the other one, you better be nice!
Good stuff! I'm going to start referring to Americans as free-grazing westerners, and I'm going to pitch them a new heaven, with fields of bacon and streams running with beer. Credit card required.
Did you know my hillbilly family came out of Tennessee? At least, that's what they tell me. There's even a town out there bearing the family name. Or, there used to be, I was told they may have disincorporated recently. I might have made that word up.
Good to know that people can still spot Dandays in the wild. Keep spreading the weird!
For sure, Milk and Honey's overrated.
I did not. That's bragging rights—city named after you. You might wanna claim your rights.
Yoo! This one was so much better. That last one, I was like noooott nnooowwww! = } Funny.
Deal! But if you're gonna coin Free-Grazing Westerners, you might wanna get a 2'fer on the weird.
Thanks, man.
You should drop by COM. That Borderline girl dropped a post that is likely to bring at least a smile.
Whoa, that's mind blowing he did that at age 5. That's around the age we love our parents the most. I hope he didn't grow up to find out his dad was a bitch and regret even giving a fuck. Did you ask him that? 🤣🤣🤣
I totally meant to ask him that and got distracted by tuna...
Nevies, whaddup! Thanks for keeping up with me however long we've been doing this.
Age 5 and 'about' 75 years ago, imagine that? 1950's, zero technology, inventing marvels while classmates still piss theirself.
Cheers dude.
I guess everything was lined up for this story to come as it did to Hive. All from the coffee, the French vanilla... I don't know about those things, but maybe I can imagine them after reading you with that wonderful way you have of telling things.
You ladies make it virtually impossible to maintain this gankstir persona I've been working on. <3 Please don't take this the wrong way, but that's the nicest thing you've said to me.
🤥
Hey what does that mean?! You calling me Pinocchio? Is that a Geppetto reference? Damn emojis! I don't understand emoji.. I demand emojis come with captions, dammit. Better not be saying my nose is growing cuz I said that's the nicest.. you know what I said.
😁 liar... te dicen cosas más bonitas que las que te digo yo.
Nicest thing you've said, you. Not them. They're way nicer.... Ya ya, bad timing for a joke.
They're way nicerHa-ha, see? Totally not serious.
But a couple nations, one translator and some cultures are not gonna mess this up for me.
That. ^ Serious. Nicest.
Now then, about you. Done anything recently you wouldn't have done two months ago?
OK, I believe you. I like that I can disrupt your gankstir character a little bit. 😃
Yes, I quit my job.
Wow ! That is SOME story !! What a great accidental encounter.
I don't usually buy creamer, but when I did, I loved the International Delights amaretto flavor. I love amaretto anything. Of course you can always put some real amaretto in your coffee instead.
Hello, Jacey. I would love some amaretto. My favorite's bourbon. Especially when I get bad mail or the weather sucks or someone dies. Couple shots erases everything temporarily. Aug. 2, a little over a month ago now, was my 10 year sobriety so, meh, so much for that!
I love creamer! Not international delight, my mother in law likes that, too weak to me. I don't know what coffeemate does, sneaks in high fructose corn syrup or something. LOVE IT! "Want some coffee with your creamer?"
I usually have a bottle of amaretto here. I don't normally drink it, I put it in pound cakes! Many years ago before the internet was in every home, I baked and decorated cakes from my home for other people. In the nature of that, baking magazines and the such were a love of mine. One time I saw an ad for a company where a woman made cakes with spirits and shipped them all over, so I splurged and bought a small amaretto cake. If I remember correctly, she was in Georgia. I really, really loved the cake, although it was pretty expensive or at least it felt like it at the time. I decided I would try to adapt my beloved pound cake recipe to get that flavor. I set out to get a bottle of amaretto cream. I could not find that here, so I bought the plain amaretto. I only changed one thing in my recipe, instead of a cup of canned evaporated milk, I used a half cup of amaretto and the other half heavy whipping cream and it turned out really well. My Mom loved it too and has made some also over time. Yay ! That is how I came to keep some around most of the time.
I normally drink my coffee black, so creamers are just for the occasional treat. My last husband put so much cream and sugar in his coffee, to me it was nearly not coffee anymore. LOL !! But hey, whatever you like, right ?
I had to order the stuff the whole time we traveled via Amazon and only the powder's available to deliver. Don't tell anyone I told you but we paid 3x the normal price for creamer and it wasn't even the liquid kind! Shh.
Pura drinks hers black, too. If anything, a shot of half/half. She eats closer to zero sugar than anyone I know. Can't even enjoy a piece of the cake she made me a couple weeks ago.
You guys have a lot in common. She loves baking. I recently celebrated a birthday, she always makes me a something, regardless where we are. Every single year. This year it was a fruity pebble vanilla cake.
That's a pretty cake. I have never heard of a fruity pebble cake, but I do love sprinkles! It would be hard for me to bake and not taste it. I always think I need to know what I am serving. Ok, I don't even TRY to resist. LOL... my total downfall !
Sometimes there are a few things that life just can't go on without, even if you have to pay too much to get it. 😂 How bad I want it, sometimes determines the price I am willing to pay, even when I know it's a rip. Powdered creamer though?? That IS desperate ! I'm being silly, but my very few experiences with such things is that, they always seem to coat the inside of my mouth with a greasy feeling. I've have never quite known what part of the ingredients causes that, but it became a "never again" thing for me pretty fast. Ick !
Yeah it's terrible. Go figure my favorite poison's only available here in the US. You know even their candy bars taste different in EU and UK? They use real coco powder and no HFCS in anything. If I'm not mistaken, HFCS is banned there. Same candy wrappers, same colors and look, but the taste takes some getting used to.
Come back here after being gone awhile and everything's sweet, even string cheese.
Alright, now you're getting the whole shabang. ONLY, and I mean that in all caps, on special days like my birthday do I get fully-loaded (she calls it) dessert. She can't taste them, either, doesn't have the pancreas for it. It's typically naturally sweeteners like banana, monk fruit, not sugar alcohol, nothing sugar alcohol and I'm leaving a lot out.
I have found many products over the last few years that either taste WAY too sweet or WAY too salty to me, that I used to love. They are changing long time products to cheaper versions and putting more of the bad stuff in them to try to pretend it all tastes the same. Although I am totally sugar addicted, I don't like my regular food to be sweet (unless it's a sauce that is supposed to be).... and it's crazy how much salt is being put into things. Good Lawd ! I don't need balloon feet ! LOL
Anyway, some things have become history to me, simply because the manufacterers have cheapened them and ruined the flavor. Yuck ! Did they really think we wouldn't notice??
Hmmmfff ! 😄
Wonderful to just meet a man like that.
Sometimes people still can surprise one 😎
Love it when things work out the way they're supposed to.
Thank you, littlebee.
Me too 😊
You are welcome 🐝 have a great new week!
!LUV
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So cool unexpected encounter with Larry! If you meet him again (you never know, maybe he will go back for more French Vanilla and you happen to be there also purchasing the same) please greet him on behalf of all of us who read this post 😉
It's just me and you here, right? Cool, cuz I got this gankstir persona goin, know what I mean, and I got chills reading that like a big baby!
<3
🎉 Upvoted 🎉
👏 Keep Up the good work on Hive ♦️ 👏
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You contaminate your coffee with that nonsense? I love the powdered stuff, not for my coffee though, ever tried setting it on fire?
L o L. I have not. You for real, is it flammable? That's hilarious. I could only get the powder when traveliving cuz Amazon delivered. Only one place overseas stocked the powder that I saw, true story, what's readily accessible anywhere here is all but banned everywhere else... Anyway, a touristy shop in Budapest. Like 5x the price, too.
Hell yeah I paid it!
It is, particularly if you go the dust explosion route. In Budapest? That just seems so random. Lol, I believe it, I hear they don't like their numbered colors over thataway.
Holy fireballs, Batman. I'm so naive. All I could think while reading that was how did I get on this secret website, there's no way this is available to just anyone.
Only place it happened and it happened at just about every farmers/flea market / restaurant type thing we went to in Hungary—they assume Pura's Russian. Always speak to her in Russian at first.
I take it you didn't go to many gun shows out in Cali? Lol, that's a teenager's toy that'll get somebody shot by the cops one day. Before the interwebs you usually had to go to a gun show to find a copy of TM 31-210 but now it's freely available online and puts that to shame.
I can see that. I took Russian for a couple years at U of L and it seems like anytime I'm traveling I somehow end up running into Russian speakers in the randomest of places.
Gun show in California?! Haha, after those links, someone might actually think you're serious. Sure, in California, first Friday of every month, guns. Right after the Richard Ramirez show and how to tell if it's raining show.
The Richard Ramirez show was before my time, the OJ Simpson show was about when I started tuning in. Well that and the Rodney King special.
What an amazing encounter! I wonder why he didn't ask a friend to go with him that first time? I'm glad you were there to make his day brighter.
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Love it when things work out the way they're supposed to. I don't know, lucky for me he didn't. Can't script those things.
Some encounters are meant to be. You should keep his card for sure, that guy can't have too many friends. Sadly, especially at his age, losing someone important puts him at risk of becoming isolated :( ....
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What an incredible story of human invention, hey I notice I lost your witness vote, just wonder about the reason? and i hope to regain your support. All the best mate.
Love it when things work out the way they're supposed to.
Hi, nice to be met! I adjusted a vote, welcome back! It's nothing personal, know that. Wish I didn't have to drop a vote to get us here but I don't bring a feeling to the internet so it's all good.
= }
I won't take it personally if you don't.
What I've just recently began doing is keeping a close eye on my votes and, when a supported witnesses hasn't produced a block for say; 12, 14, 18+ hours, I drop them and give someone else a go—no hard feelings.
I'm not suggesting you did that, I'm honestly uncertain what caught my attention.
This is my long winded way of saying thanks for supporting this article, I appreciate it more than these words say.
Cheers.
THIS IS THE BEST FUCKING STORY EVER.
Pretty special, huh? I've replayed it to several friends in real life, too. Glad you didn't miss it. Appreciate the reblog, Anna. In bigger font than yours, so there thbbb.
That's a memorable moment of meeting some stranger with an interesting story to tell.. Especially when reading about @splatts doing something similar for his son. Maybe this was meant to be and this will be helpful for them in a way..
To be fair, I'm not the most patient person myself but when I worked with the elderly, I really had no issues listening to them, as they usually have a story to tell and are so happy when someone finally sits down and listens to them.
When an older person needs help in the supermarket, I'm definitely not one to be impatient but helpful, this is how it should be as well imo. We will all be old one day and we should treat them the way we want to be treated, right?
Anyway, this was an interesting read. The fact that this guy scanned the products reminds me of the app I downloaded last week, I believe it's called Think Dirty.. I downloaded it after my boyfriend saw a video to check on the ingredients of shampoo and such. Turns out, most things I have are freaking poisonous, I know that from a few but not all.
Now I'm in a hurry to replace all that crap by better stuff but turns out, most things in the stores is just crap anyway, as it is with food lol. Surprise surprise..
Anyway, thanks for the reminder to dive into that rabbit hole further.. AND apologies for any spelling errors that cause you to have errors :)
!LUV
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I think I do plenty on my own to be judged negatively, here. Don't need additional help, jeez.
Hello. Splatts put together a machine similar to the one Larry patented. Been awhile. I sent this to his WhatsApp, he must be busy.
I wish I was always that patient. Comes naturally when I see someone struggling. It's when things are running smooth I get confused, throws me for a loop, I guess, and I pretend I have somewhere to be and not enough time to get there.
Pura has an app like that. I don't know what it's called but she's always scanning things (funny! Autocorrect had always scanning 'thugs'), "good!" "Bad!" "Ok.." "Real bad."
👍
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Have a nice week.
Isn't it amazing how everyone has a story, and a little patience and receptiveness can bring real gems like this!?
I'm terribly impatient, but not so much with the elderly. I'm always eager to hear their story, maybe because in a few years I will also be invisible.
Just a gorgeous piece, really.
Except - I think we seriously have different coffee tastes. It's an American thing, right?
Yes, 100%, absolutely an American thing. I used to think it was normal. Another thing I learned staying gone that long is the whole place looks abnormal once you've watched it from a distance for awhile—land of convenience, it is.
Good morning. It's morning here. I'm glad you liked this one. Thanks for the reblog.
I'm a chess player, grandfather taught me since age 8, where I learned to practice patience. I woulda waited all day for Larry, I could tell he was out of his element. Can't tell you how many times the little ol' lady at the market asks me to reach something for her cuz she can't. I love those moments! I have to stop myself from offering to push their buggy around the whole store for them.
Hahaha you are sweet. It's nice, helping people in that way.
I'm insanely impatient - I get super frustrated when I can't do something within a short time frame. It's something I'm at least aware of, and practice - like I might LOOK patient when I let you in the queue ahead of me, but I have an ulterior motive by giving myself opportunity to practice patience!
Do you guys just suckle a sugar beast from birth or what? That and the whole super size thing.
I'm actually 72k words into the largest writing project I've ever tackled right now. We were gone a total of nearly 5 years, plenty to say. Supersize is only the beginning.
I don't hold back what I think of cultures and that goes for my own, too. I'm toughest on my own.
Did you know everything here has unlimited refills? I thought that was normal, too, unlimited refills. Everything. If it's a liquid (coffee, soda, etc) stateside, servers won't let a cup go empty, they'll continue making rounds while you're having a meal continuously keeping your cup full.
I thought that was normal, too. Cater, cater, cater, when it's your normal it's all you know. EU, also, their menu items are weighed in grams. We had no idea how to read that at first cuz stateside they just pile food on the plate and it overflows. Literally. Wish I was making this up.
Culture shock at first was like, 'these proportions are bismal, I'm still hungry.' After about a year of that, it goes, 'I can't believe how much Americans eat.'
I saw a large pizza get delivered to a couple waiting in an emergency room here once at like 3 in the morning. Driver enters the ER through the same sliding doors a patient would with a large pozza on his shoulder, "anyone order a pepperoni?"
That's a true story.
I did a piece a very long time ago about the sugar in baby food, those little jars they sell food in. Pura and I don't have kids. Those tiny little jars have as much or more sugar than a coke.
This is a long reply.
= }
God. I used to feed my kid pure lentils, no salt, mashed veggies, no salt.
How is it paid for, all those refills??
Are you all diabetic or what? It's unfathomable to me. I grew up in an era and a culture where if you were thirsty, there was water 💦 in the tap. Mum would buy one 2l bottle of pure OJ for the fortnight and we weren't allowed more than one glass a day, usually watered down. Not because of money, coz of health.
I mean, I remember being horrified going to a mates place and they had chocolate cereal for breakfast so it wasn't all Aussies obviously. But for most part we are a fairly healthy culture.
But then Jesus, we don't walk around with guns either. America is probably THE most foreign country I can think of.
Guns, I'm a big fan of. The perception of us and our firearms is media-fed. Absolutely blows my mind everyone else thinks it's fair to fight with rocks while law enforcement fights with bullets. I'm a firm believer in fairness and level playing fields.
If you ever make it here and see pistols on random hips, imagine this: those are the safe people. Holstered firearms around here doesn't mean crazy, it means trained. I understand how complicated that may be for you to comprehend.
Zoom in on that sticker. I just snapped that a couple weeks ago. Can't keep a nice car around here, they're so massive they can't properly enter/exit a vehicle without hitting the one next to it.
I've had our nice car repaired five times now in a little under two years—door dings, mostly.
Whenever we're invited to a cookout or something like that, I always say "don't worry about us..." cuz we'll eat before we get there. Pura says it's a lifestyle, claims you can't just wake up in your late 40's with a 6-pack. Apparently it's something that requires continuous training for decades on end. My normal is weird, I guess.
Omg that sticker? For real?
Not if they're fat - how will they dodge incoming fire? 😜
Look I get it in principle - I've worked hard to understand it. I guess it's just as incomprehensible to you that Australia DOESN'T have guns. It wouldn't occur to us to have to fight the government with firearms. It's not part of our history but I totally understand it's part of yours. I concede always its far more complex that we can see as an outsider.
When you say 'largely media', I think what a lot of us just can't understand is school shootings. No matter how they are reported, they still happen, and if you can't protect your kids, you have an issue. The Port Arthur massacre rattled Australia so much that the immediate assault rifle ban was utterly supported. To think you've had so many more massacres since then just freaks us all out.
Saying that, I wish we could get a gun to shoot the bloody rabbits round here.
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