Daniel Sands stokes caffeine cravings
Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Dec 01/00) - So much coffee, such little space.
The aroma of freshly ground coffee beans and the high-pitched zing of the cappuccino machine sounding off periodically fill the air at the Javaroma coffee bar in the Centre Square Shopping Centre.
Daniel Sands works the morning shift at the bar tucked into the pocket of the Franklin Street access corridor.
The smell of coffee, the sight of coffee and the sound of coffee being brewed, poured and attended to gives off a sense of relaxation.
But Sands barely has time to speak as he pours the brew, slings muffins into paper bags and swiftly and skilfully wields the cash register.
"Most of the regulars are people who work in the mall and in the office buildings in this block radius," Sands explained as he served a line of customers, barely missing a fast-paced beat.
"Mostly a lot of sleepy people," he added.
Sands has worked there for two months. He is a traveller who came up from Victoria. He also spent some time in Asia and brought a sample of the eastern mindset with him in his attempt to get people to tip.
Written on the tip jar is a promise of good karma for the price of a quarter or two.
"I made the sign, someone spilt coffee on the old one so I had to," Sands said.
And the tips are pretty good but the laid back coffee server does not seem like he would be too uptight about it even if they were not.
Even mall activity doesn't phase him. All day long people pound the hallways shopping, socializing or taking a short cut to somewhere downtown in the beehive of activity.
"I see some interesting things. I saw a security guard chasing some people through the mall recently," Sands said. "But I have a pretty good tolerance level for things out of the ordinary."
Sands seems pretty focused on the methodical duties of coffee service, describing the contents of morning glory muffins and asking if he should leave room for cream as he fills coffee cups.
And his relationship to what many look forward to every morning likely makes him a bright part in the average caffeine consumer's day.
