So imagine you walk into a cafe to enjoy a fine meal and you look over and the guy beside you has a ponytail and he is playing with fire at his table.
What will you do? What will you do?
Ha. That is exactly what a young couple at Cosi saw when they grabbed the booth next to me at the sandwich chain in Philly. Cosi offers S’mores on the menu. How cool I thought.
I mean, a few months ago at the Wi-Fi Wind Farm Blowing Man Festival, I was sending tweets out from the campfire. So now I have gone full circle and burned marshmallows to a crispy crunch at a free Wi-Fi hotspot in the City of Brotherly Love. Pretty perfect.
It’s gets better — at least in my eyes — because I just came from Philly’s version of Occupy Wall Street — an encampment of late sleeping, late partying longhairs over at city hall. All those tents and people needing baths subconsciously made me need a S’more. Instinctively — just as I can sniff out a Wi-Fi hotspot — I walked a few blocks and found Cosi.
So how was it? Well … let’s just say I hate it when a great idea is really a bad, bad idea. How could Cosi be so sure that I am a trained expert in pyrotechniques (sort of) before they handed over this flaming tray of Dutch chocolate goodness and marshmallowy American tradition?
It could have gone south, quickly. First off, no one likes to use an old coat hanger in a shiny new cafe. Cosi thought of that, so they equipped me, the Wi-Fi flambe maestro, with two wooden skewers. Guess what. On my first S’more, having not perfected my skills, I torched the mallow a bit too long. And when I tried the campfire method of blowing out the treat, the wooden skewer had already lit as well. The wooden, now flaming skewer would not go out.
Like eating a melted marshmallow without getting it all over your mutton chops in public isn’t enough stress … now I have to worry about the fact that I am about to burn down the sandwich shop. That’s pressure … and certainly not proper dining etiquette.
I wrestled the sweet burning spear to the table top and vanquished the flame and salvaged the sugary treat … disaster averted. By the second treat, I had worked out a process and there was no more danger. Just melted chocolate all over my iPhone, Droid, Nikon D7000 and my MacBook Pro. All in all … I would say it was worth it.
So how ’bout the Wi-Fi here at my old friend Cosi. Just as I discovered in Chicago so many years ago, Cosi is a great place for Wi-Fi. I got on in a flash … Interesting to note the network is not locked down. But then would you expect a place that lets me play with fire have firewalls and passcodes and such? I think not.
One minor problem with the Wi-Fi experience … I thought ordering on-line … ordering S’mores no less — would be really nerdy/cool from my chair in the restaurant using the Wi-Fi network. It introduced an element of surprise for the server and for my amusement … My thinking: If they took my order on-line, as they delivered the flaming tray, they would have no idea what kind of a nut was about to be given the means to give them a few days off … If you know what I am saying. Not that I am advocating … just saying … I digress …
Anyway … S’mores were not included in Cosi’s online fare. Imagine my disappointment. I had to get up and order my S’mores from the counter … It just seemed wrong.
Anyway the PingTeam is gettin all Cosi in Philly with S’mores and hippies and camping and a free Wi-Fi hotspot — 6 flamboyant pings.
Know what I sayin?
