16 February, 2013
Macchiato in a cappuccino cup! This writer’s cup is half full, and I like it that way. It has taken me about two years to figure this out, and to convince my baristas that I’m not kidding when I ask for it to be served this way. “My baristas.” That’s pretty funny.
Actually, I find that baristas who know my taste in mind-bending coffee easily go down this road with me. How hard can it be to pour a macchiato into a bigger cup? Why should this pose a problem? There’s no need for coffee art, just scoop some foam on top so that there’s a neat rim of brown around the edge. There’s more surface area, more crema, more nose. And, I like how the cappuccino cup sits in my hand. A macchiatto cup is so bitty. My new way is less like a girl’s tea party, more like a coffee drink with a deep secret.
Writing is like having a macchiato in a cappuccino cup. There’s more than enough room to fit the ideas, and when they are fully hatched, they edit down to about half the word count that originally appeared on the page, or screen.
But my drink isn’t really half a drink. It’s a fullblown, intense, eye-bugging-out experience. It’s a full drink in a cup twice its size.
I hope my writing gives the reader a similar experience; a personal twist on words we’ve all seen over and over, served up in a special cup.
Carol Rich Writes 