Lessons in International Relations from the bar at the Buena Vista Cafe

The Buena Vista Cafe recently celebrated its 53rd anniversary, though this evening I heard a waiter tell two customers that the restaurant is over 100 years old. They claim that Irish Coffee was invented on the premises, and I find it very hard to believe that Irish Coffee is a mere 53 years old. I also find it hard to believe that only one person invented it. I think left to our own devices, we humans could easily figure out that Coffee+Whiskey=Things Are So Much Better Now in less than 30 minutes. So I really hope the Buena Vista gets its story straight sometime soon. Anyways, it's really touristy and I try not to go there too much.

But I did go there tonight, and I now have it on good authority that, no matter what you may hear, the British love us because we saved their asses and they owe us one. I picked up this tidbit from an English woman sitting three barstools to my left. But then she started talking about her trip to the Serengeti, and who wants to hear about that? Besides, by this point The Cranberries were playing on the overhead and I was transported away to my happy place. Which is 1995. And the only thing that shook me from my reverie was a Peter Cetera track to which I am rather partial.