"hold the whip"

Frequent customers and baristas at Starbucks have a way of communicating the type of drink the customers want. For the occasional consumer (like me), the lingo is a bit intimidating because of the endless possibilities of combinations to be put in that cup (the size, the consumer still has to decide on).

For years, I've kept ordering the Chocolate Frappuccino. Simple and straight off the menu card. One day, I thought that since I wasn't in such a hurry, I could try vamping my favorite drink up a bit. Just a bit. I didn't realize that I was opening myself up for a lot of questions. And another blooper moment.

So, I plunged in, "One chocolate chip frappuccino blended creme, but please use soy milk."

"What's the size of your drink?", the barista asked.

"Venti, please," I replied. My customized drink was well on its way.

I prefer soy milk and it's only recently that I learned that the soy milk option is available at the Starbucks branch I normally pass by. Long time ago, I used to buy my chocolate milkshake at a different coffee shop because it was the one I knew that had the soy milk option.

"Hold the whip?", the barista asked again.

That stopped me in my tracks. The whip?!? Whenever I order what's on the menu card, the barista only asks for the drink size. So I started looking around for a whip, certain that I wasn't holding one.

"Excuse me. What whip?", I asked, puzzled.

The barista kindly replied, "Whipped cream. Do you want it in your drink?"

"Oh, yes. Please include that! And please add peppermint syrup too", I finally understood what the barista was talking about and successfully requested for some holiday spirit into my drink.

While waiting for name to be called, the barista started calling out my drink's specifications. It sounded very complicated, what with all the Starbucks-speak going on. After a few minutes, the other barista (the one who's announcing the drinks already prepared) was smiling when he called me. He commented, after reciting the drink combination,

"Here's your super-customized drink."

My personalized drink was yummy! It was the perfect companion for my homeward bound 170-km drive that night. I think this combination will be my signature drink for the next few years whenever I end up at Starbucks. But no, I cannot say the name of my drink in Starbucks-speak. The barista will still have to help me out.

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