Payday = the Café

This is one of those days when it’s most appropriate to say a few words about Barfly Etiquette, both a term AND a category that I've just invented as I typed this out. [Note: Just can’t wait for the day when this category first appears on Jeopardy! “I’ll take Barfly Etiquette for 500, Alex.” DAILY DOUBLE!]

I digress, sorry.

As I was saying, this is one of those days: the calendar claims that it’s spring, but the thermometer insists that it’s winter. Surely, it must be four o’clock somewhere, and I am thinking that this afternoon would be a good day to hit someplace subtle, like the Canal Café.

Time was when Yolanda Sorrenti would tend to her little bar, where Adams Street meets the Cranberry Highway in Sagamore. With her gray hair pinned up in a tight bun, she'd perch herself upon a vinyl-cushioned kitchen chair, sit patiently, and tend to your every order. In between, she’d tell you stories, like when the Sagamore Bridge was being erected. God bless her soul, as well as all the souls that went into the digging of the Canal and the construction of the bridges, as well as into the ebb and flow of the relentless current. (Had the Belzikians conceived of that ghastly windmill any earlier than they did, then the toll of souls most certainly would have been even greater!)

Since the passing of that beloved proprietor, the Canal Café has still hung onto its charm (yes, it IS charm). For starters, there’s not only a jukebox, BUT you get four songs played for a dollar. And there is bumper pool. It remains the sort of place that Jack’s Lounge in Hyannis and The Yardarm in Orleans once had been: a local bar. In this case, local CORNER bar.
 
Moreover, the beer is cold, the barshelves are well-stocked, and the prices are very good. The menu is more expanded than Yolanda Sorrenti ever might have imagined or could have handled, but the place is still small and cozy. By five o’clock today, it will start to become crowded; by six, be crowded.

Thus, this afternoon’s a good one for a little road trip. Put on my heavy jacket, drive the Jeep to the corner of Adams, and sit myself down at Yolanda's place. As I await the arrival of Harvey, the barkeep will probably ask, “What can I get you?” Or something to that effect.

Barfly Etiquette Rule #1: Your response to any bartender’s opening question should always be (with a smile): “I want it all, and I want it now.” The expression on the bartender’s face will reveal just how good (or bad) your next hour or so is going to be.

And if you really want it all and want it now, then you’ve got to find yourself a stool at the Canal Café. Grab yourself a Quick Pick for tonight's MegaMillions, but consider yourself lucky if you can find a seat at the bar. (Even luckier if you could get a Pickwick Ale, but that's a story for another day of Ale Tales.)

Gotta scoot.

(Goodnight, Yolanda, wherever you are.)