Lids and Cups

There aren't as many kinds of disposable cups. They are pretty much the same as in terms of basic looks. Some may of course be more colourful than the others. Some coffee-shops may have designs of snowmen, bells and snowflakes during Christmas time. Other places (like Jerry's) will always have the stark white cups with the black sleeves. Cold and hot items are served in different types of cups: plastic for all cold items. The hot ones are almost always served in paper cups, and sometimes in styrofoam cups (although Joe used to glare at me whenever I picked one up rather sheepishly, having forgotten my non-disposable cup at home...). The cups come in three sizes - sometimes two: 12 and 16 ounces. Unless you go to a gas-station where you get 32 ounce coffee cups. I think some places have 48 ounce cups as well (a "normal" sized cup carries between 6-8 ounces of liquid). All said and done while some cups may differ in aesthetics and in terms of sizes - they still have a basic design.

The lids are what change from one place to another, from one coffee-shop to another, from one gas-station to another, from one restaurant to another. The lid designs are all patented too. The lids remind me of faucets, although they are not quite as bad. With faucets - just as soon as you imagine that you've seen all the different types possible - you'll come across one where you're wondering whether you must say "Turn on sesame" for the water to magically pour out of the spout. Some faucets turn clock-wise. Others anti-clockwise. Some will turn on when you push in and upwards on the mouth of the faucet. Others will work when you tug on the mouth. Others require their heads to be tapped downwards or to be lifted upwards - much like levers. Yet others will refuse to serve you. Push, pull, twist inwards, twist outwards. Down. Up. Nothing. Repeated raps and taps. Nope. No water. Nothing. There you are staring at the tap, wondering whether you need to dance around it while singing and tapping your head or something. The tap just sits there. Stone-faced. Or steel-faced or maybe steel-schnozzled to be precise. It refuses to budge. You peer at the faucet. Wondering what else you can possibly tug or tap or push or prod or maybe do everything at the same time. Other folks going in and out of the rest-room cast awkward glances towards you, and you keep staring, glaring balefully at them and back at the tap or you pretend that you suddenly spy a turnip growing on top of your head, which needs attending to. Finally when you've given up all hope you thrust your hand right below the mouth of the faucet (but without really touching it), and water starts pouring out in pretty sprinkles, magically and merrily through some 'auto-sensor' mechanism. And these are just some instances. The curious thing is that lots of other people have told me the same...maybe not lots - at least some others have expressed similar sentiments regarding mysterious faucets.
About lids I have one funny story...but I'll err..put the lid on it for now.

P.S: I realised the other day that it took me a few minutes before I remembered that I never did call gas-stations "gas-stations". It took me even longer to remember what indeed I did call them. I kept thinking of "fueling stations" - which though not wrong, didn't sound right (for some reason I saw an image of the freezing Arctic as I said that in my head). I said "Pumping station" which didn't make any sense whatsoever. "Oil station" made me see horse-drawn carriages (don't ask me why). Finally, after what seemed a very long time I remembered "Petrol Pumps", but of course. And then I also remembered how Bean (a friend I'm completely out of touch after four nice months of knowing him) and I, some 6 years ago used to snigger at the mention of "filling gas" and "gas stations" and used to wonder out aloud why people couldn't just say "petrol" since that is what it was....
Sigh. What a memory I have....!
16th March, 2009