A post-summer break ritual that led to a near religious awakening (alongside a little transmogrification)
The small offering from the café around the corner that made me feel ready to get back to life in the city.
Having lived in Madrid for good number years now, I especially enjoy that first “second breakfast” in Madrid when we get back from our summer break. It has become a kind of quiet, almost secret but much-loved ritual.
Before the summer, I had been going to a café beside out place which had croissants filled with almond marzipan, which are rare. The coffee there is a bit light for my taste. I would call it that runny, watery stuff which looks like a good imitation of coffee but tastes to me like something they had left over after they had made the actual coffee. However, suffice it to say the croissants were great. I am sure that you have guessed it; not anymore.
To my shock and horror the lovely, delicious almond croissants had been turned into something hellish, covered inexplicably in this pinky-coloured, not-quite icing, strange looking stuff. They looked as if they had been burnt and the staff tried to cover it up with a pink mess. Said mess probably trebled the already considerable number of calories and took away, if anything from the taste. This left me a bit miserable as I was really looking forward to my end-of-summer ritual. It just would not do.
Not to be deterred in my desire for the “second breakfast”, off I went around the corner to another café which I like in my area. That café has the proper, strong coffee. No almond croissants there but they do have other great treats. And, after all, there is no real point in living on the continent in my opinion if you cannot partake in having cake for breakfast.
This place is best known in the area as an ice-cream parlour where you can also get breakfast and treats. I went there from the start, when they first opened to bring my little one for ice-cream after school and get a coffee for myself before heading off to the park.
That is how I know that the owner was basically camped out there for the first few years after they opened because business was so slow, and I do not think they made much money back then. They are really busy these days as they have developed a loyal following, mainly composed of families with kids having ice-cream. I scream ice-cream anyone.
I do get diverted by a good pun, but I mean it to illustrate how sensationally popular ice-cream is with children.
The owner is almost always quite standoffish with and, honestly, I cannot blame him after everything he has been through. He does what he has the energy to do.
However, the other day I was pleasantly surprised. I ordered and the waitress and the owner responded perfunctorily as usual, I paid as you must pay first there and sat down. Then, within two minutes, a different waitress came over with a big grin and a double serving of red velvet cake. I was super full after the second breakfast which had now transmogrified from a little croissant into quite a pleasant brunch.
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