h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The jingle of those oh-so-retro bells-of-Sarna tell you that you have, perhaps inadvertently, walked into the Aroma Cafe, where you can get good coffees and teas as well as specialty drinks (see menu) and a variety of pastries.

The blue orangutan's name is Ook and he can play Scrabble better than any other researcher who's been here so far.

The sax over there on the table by today's papers plays soft jazz on request.

If no caretaker is here, just tell the IIEM (Infinite Improbability Espresso Machine) what you want.

And of course, we share good conversation here. Welcome!

*jingle*
Ta da!

Did I do it?

Places on counter.

Mangosteen is a sort of pulpy fruit which grows on a yew-like evergreen tree naitive to Malaysia. To go by Merriam-Webster dictionary..."a dark reddish-brown fruit of Southeastern Asia with a thick rind and juicy flesh having a flavor suggestive of both peach and pineapple; also: a tree (garcinia mangostana) of the St. John's Wort variety that bears mangosteens.

'S darn good too.

...and then there is guarana, a product made from the seeds of a Brazilian plant; one gram of which contains about as much caffeine as a medium-strength cup of coffee.

Wow! That does sound good. Can I have one too?

refills DD's mug --------> c[!!]

first-to-the-forum Mangosteen Soda -------> ^}%{^ (with straw)

Demon, have you seen the new mug shelving?

One what, Barney? Mangosteen or guarana?

Demon, have you met Odradek and Barney?

And guano, but that has nothing to do with the conversation. Good evening all. May I have an espresso, please?

Mm. Thanks, Lil...

'Course, for my next round, l may need to try some guarana, as suggested by Loony.
l think we used to have a soda in the States with that stuff in, actually, guarana. Tasted like carbonated cough syrup...but it had a certain charm...

Ummm.. ok... that makes me... 6th to the forum!!!!

Always a day late & a dollar short, that's me.

Kona, please. Quite a crowd at the moment.

espresso for ox ---------> c(~)
kona for Moniker ---------> |~|k

I'll be back in about 20 minutes--

Odradek, I can report Vicks Formula 44 tastes like uncarbonated cough syrup

Vicks Formula 44 makes an excellent mixer, actually, l can report...not bad with vodka. On the rocks.

Odra,

If the expedition thingy doesn't work out, I think you can get a job as a nanny. Didn't Mary Poppins have a similar sort of contraption? Looked like a carpet bag, I believe.

Sorry -- mangosteen, please.

All the talk about Vicks Formula 44 has me shivering -- yuck! pooey!! Ooh - I'd rather have the cough!!

lt's similar, yes...but mine's better, because it has a light-devouring event horizon at the end of it. So if the children are naughty, l can just threaten to chuck them in a black hole and let them have their component molecules rent in twain...
On second thoughts, maybe my applying for employment as a nanny might just be ill-advised...

Vicks isn't half so bad as the allergy syrups, though...Dimetapp, Benadryl...yigh. l spent half my childhood swilling down those concoctions.
l now tend to associate fruit flavours with the flavours of liquid medications, actually. For example, strawberry Starbursts (l think they're like Opal Cremes in the UK) taste precisely like Keflex (prescription antibiotic suspention used for ear infections. lt's pink. Bilious pink.)

Oh, Benadryl, yes, bloody hell.

Loony today at the supermarket ("whopping big food store", I don't know if it's an american word) there was a man giving out samples of some prand of kiwi fruit. He even had accent to match, so now I know what it sounds like. But the best part was the utensils they gave out for eating the stuff - I now have a souvenir "spife". (Like spork, but different - can you guess how?)

It'll be an anticoffee and an early night for me.

Mixing vodka with the Vicks may affect it's soothing demulcent base, types a man happy in his demulcent hase but a little concerned about the inverted sugar, not to mention the ethonal, dextromethorphan hydrobromide and sodium benzoate.